Difficulty laying...

[ManOverBoard]

Hi,
We've noticed some of our hens appearing to have a harder time than usual laying their eggs. Panting, standing up partially, bugged out eyes, grunting, usually the girls seem fine, but lately a few seem to be struggling extra, it's not just one breed or age either. All have been laying eggs for at least a year.
Do we need to adjust their diets?
They have plenty of water available.
They eat organic layer feed 18% protein mixed with 20%all flock feed, calcium citrate, mixed with tomatoes, beef fat, organic salad greens, and random safe kitchen scraps.

 

[nuthatched]

How much greens and what kind? Do they get oyster shells?

 

[Mrs. K]

Really diet has not that much to do with laying. I mean if you are meeting their dietary needs, they should lay just fine. Oyster shell is good. I wonder if you are not just watching them too close.

 

[rosemarythyme]

Are the birds overweight? I ask because you mention feeding them fat. Fatter birds can struggle to lay because of fat deposits in and around the abdomen constricting the space there.

 

[ManOverBoard]

How much greens and what kind? Do they get oyster shells?

Organic boxes of spring mix spinach blend. The big ones from bulk grocery stores. One ever three days. And lately lots of watermelon rinds. And we did try oyster shells, but the girls just don't go for it. So we mix powdered calcium citrate into the feed daily

 

[ManOverBoard]

Really diet has not that much to do with laying. I mean if you are meeting their dietary needs, they should lay just fine. Oyster shell is good. I wonder if you are not just watching them too close.

Possibly, perhaps this is just what laying looks like for these girls. A case of us showing up at a bad time. Some hens get so excited on free range days that their eggs seem to slide right out of them on their way out the door.

I don't see any blood on the eggs like the girls are too tight tearing a little while laying.

 

[ManOverBoard]

Are the birds overweight? I ask because you mention feeding them fat. Fatter birds can struggle to lay because of fat deposits in and around the abdomen constricting the space there.

I'm not sure how to tell if they're overweight.
We usually give it to them in the cooler seasons to help out a bit as they're molting then too, less so in the warmer weather as we cook the burgers on the grill then.
We have butchered some of our birds before and they did not appear to have much fat on them. Mostly lean.
The girls struggling are Marans and easter eggers.

 

[nuthatched]

Organic boxes of spring mix spinach blend. The big ones from bulk grocery stores. One ever three days. And lately lots of watermelon rinds. And we did try oyster shells, but the girls just don't go for it. So we mix powdered calcium citrate into the feed daily

Dark leafy greens contain properties that block calcium absorption. They be getting too much