eating eggs- and feather plucking

[lindy]

so I am down to 5 hens. 4x8 coop with a 24x24 run. get to run in the barn a few times a week when im out watching- for dust baths and bugs.
- fed union point

Mrs. Clucker’s Pelleted Layer Feed with Pumpkin​

Guaranteed Analysis:
crude protein, minimum: 18%
lysine, minimum: 1.1%
methionine, minimum: .5%
crude fat, minimum: 1.1%
crude fiber, maximum: 5.0%
calcium, minimum: 3.25%
calcium, maximum:. 3.75%
phosphorus, minimum: .5%
salt, minimum: .10%
salt, maximum: .25%

Ingredients: Peas, alfalfa, wheat, oats, calcium carbonate, pumpkin seeds, fish meal, Diamond V XP brewer’s yeast, Redmond trace mineral salt, d l methionine (amino acid), choline chloride, ferrous sulfate, manganese sulfate, zinc sulfate, manganese oxide, zinc oxide, niacin supplement, sodium selenite, copper sulfate, calcium pantothenate, Vitamin A supplement, Vitamin D supplement, Vitamin E supplement, Vitamin B-12 Supplement, riboflavin supplement, ethylenediamine dihydroiodide, menadione nicotinamide bisulfite, pyridoxine hydrochloride, thiamine mononitrate, folic acid.

-this is not a low cost feed and i have to travel 3 hours one way to get it. i am considering getting this one, its at least closer but not cheaper- it has corn in it though.....

Layer Plus Pellets 17%​

Haystack Naturals Layer 17% is a nutritionally packed supplement to keep your laying hens happy.
Ingredients: Wheat, Corn, Field Peas, Canola Meal, Sunflower Meal, Camelina Meal, Flaxseed, Canola Oil, L-Lysine, Salt, Calcium Carbonate, Choline Chloride, Ferrous Sulfate, Manganese sulfate, Zinc Sulfate, Maganous Oxide, Zinc Oxide, Niacin Supplement, Sodium Selenite, Mineral Oil, Copper Sulfate, Vitamin E Supplement, D-Calcium Pantothenate, Riboflavin Supplement, Ethylenediamine Dihydriodide, Vitamin A Supplement, Vitamin D Supplement, Menadione Dimethylpyrimidinol Bisulfite, Thiamine Mononitrate, Pyridoxine Hydrochloride, Vitamin B12 Supplement, Folic Acid

they also get yogurt and whey on occasion. sometimes apples,black berries or other fruit. oystershells and sometimes i grind back the egg shells. I have fed some cat food to see if it was helpnig but only one hen would eat it.

I am not sure who is eating eggs but i am only getting one every to every other day. I do see egg shells on the coop floor sometimes. Also the low hen is getting plucked all the time. poor girl looks ragged when i got her and never got better. I notice two hens just plucking her feathers and they also eat feathers on the ground. I am not sure what to do. I managed to hatch out three pullet chicks a month ago when i lost my roo(no idea what happened he was dead in the morning.)

 

[rosemarythyme]

Nice run size - is there anything in there for them to do? Clutter for the picked on bird to hide behind?

For the egg eating, have you tried putting fake eggs in the nests to frustrate them? The egg shells on the floor, are those dropped from the roost or do they appear to be rolled out of the nest boxes? Ultimately you could look into installing rollaway nest boxes but those will only help if your birds are reliably using the nest boxes for laying.

 

[lindy]

i have a golf ball in the laying area. im debating on putting a nest box on the floor in hopes maybe someone would lay in it.
ONe of my birds is still acting off. not sure if she is egg bound or that kind of issue. She isnt eating alot and stays away from the other hens. Her comb is nice and red and she hasnt lost any weight that i can tell yet, but most have dirty rears. Her poop is more liquid but not sure if its just becasue she is drinking more then she is eating. she still goes after the blackberries that i give them 1x a day for a snack.

 

[rosemarythyme]

ONe of my birds is still acting off. not sure if she is egg bound or that kind of issue. She isnt eating alot and stays away from the other hens. Her comb is nice and red and she hasnt lost any weight that i can tell yet, but most have dirty rears. Her poop is more liquid but not sure if its just becasue she is drinking more then she is eating. she still goes after the blackberries that i give them 1x a day for a snack.

Hard to say, some birds are just messy poopers without anything else being really wrong with them. The fact that she isn't eating well is more concerning. I haven't dealt with an egg bound bird so not sure what to suggest as far as figuring that out...