- Jul 6, 2011
- 698
- 16
- 111
Last week (the first week my flock was here) I was averaging 4-6 eggs a day. Then Wednesday came and I collected 11. I was over the moon. I have only 14 that are mature enough to lay so I figured Thursday would be a low day. I collected a four or five. Friday, I thought today would be a big day again, that was the day I found two hens eating eggs. The one I caught them in the middle was a very small, paper thin shelled egg. I bought them oyster shell and they went crazy, all of them dug right in to that pan of shell. I have also started grinding up their own shells and adding that back into the pan of oyster shell. They day I caught them eating the eggs, I think I collected 5 or 6. Since then it has been only 4-5 each day. Here are my concerns:
1. Since finding the eaters, I have been diligent about collecting the eggs multiple times a day, yesterday I think I went out there about 6 times. Could I be going too much and causing them to some kind of disturbance?
2. I believe that they were not being fed anywhere near good quality food, actually what the man gave me with them looked like a huge bin full of scratch that was mostly corn. From reading on here I decided to that they were getting way to much corn for summer. I started them on Purina Layena Plus pellets, with the oyster shell always out for them. They also free range from about 6am till they put themselves to bed at about 9pm. Could the change in food slow production? I do not believe they had this much free range time at their previous home, I doubt they ever had oyster shell.
3. It has been very hot and dry here since I brought them home, however they day the gave me 11 eggs, was well up into the 90's.
4. Is there something else I am missing or not doing for them? They have several water founts out too, that I have been putting new water in everyday.
I do know that of the 18 chickens, 4 were hatched in the beginning of March, the man was not sure exactly when. I have collected one very small egg, that I believe was from one of them and then the small soft shell the hens were eating. Of the other 14 mature hens, I have no idea of their ages. The may we bought them from had inherited some about 3 years ago and of that group he had no idea how old they were or which ones he has culled out and which ones he has added back. He said he was adding into his flock of 39 about 10 new ones each year and culling about 10. So it is possible that a few of the hens I have could be quite up there in age and just not laying as much as some of the others. I do have one silver laced Wyandotte, she was the only one in the flock...she could be from the original bunch. Seems odd he would only have one of her. Most of my flock are RIR, a few BO's, one barred rock and several that are solid white that I am not sure of the breed.
Perhaps I am just becoming obsessed and putting way to much thought into this? I want them to be happy healthy hens that produce nice eggs.
Any suggestions would be great. I am so new to all of this and would be lost without this website.
1. Since finding the eaters, I have been diligent about collecting the eggs multiple times a day, yesterday I think I went out there about 6 times. Could I be going too much and causing them to some kind of disturbance?
2. I believe that they were not being fed anywhere near good quality food, actually what the man gave me with them looked like a huge bin full of scratch that was mostly corn. From reading on here I decided to that they were getting way to much corn for summer. I started them on Purina Layena Plus pellets, with the oyster shell always out for them. They also free range from about 6am till they put themselves to bed at about 9pm. Could the change in food slow production? I do not believe they had this much free range time at their previous home, I doubt they ever had oyster shell.
3. It has been very hot and dry here since I brought them home, however they day the gave me 11 eggs, was well up into the 90's.
4. Is there something else I am missing or not doing for them? They have several water founts out too, that I have been putting new water in everyday.
I do know that of the 18 chickens, 4 were hatched in the beginning of March, the man was not sure exactly when. I have collected one very small egg, that I believe was from one of them and then the small soft shell the hens were eating. Of the other 14 mature hens, I have no idea of their ages. The may we bought them from had inherited some about 3 years ago and of that group he had no idea how old they were or which ones he has culled out and which ones he has added back. He said he was adding into his flock of 39 about 10 new ones each year and culling about 10. So it is possible that a few of the hens I have could be quite up there in age and just not laying as much as some of the others. I do have one silver laced Wyandotte, she was the only one in the flock...she could be from the original bunch. Seems odd he would only have one of her. Most of my flock are RIR, a few BO's, one barred rock and several that are solid white that I am not sure of the breed.
Perhaps I am just becoming obsessed and putting way to much thought into this? I want them to be happy healthy hens that produce nice eggs.
Any suggestions would be great. I am so new to all of this and would be lost without this website.
2x a day should be enough. If at all possible, figure out who the eaters are and separate them for ~week, taking their eggs away if they lay. It's tough to break the habit of egg eating, but worth trying.
