Egg layers

[tony55]

Approximately how many eggs a day should I get? I have 10 eight month old white leghorns and red sex link hens and 7 two year old Orpington/Plymouth rock/Rhodes island red hens. I'm only getting 2-4 eggs a day.

 

[chickenweirdo1]

10-15 i would say.

 

[tony55]

That's what I thought.

 

[tony55]

I have an 18'x12' coop with a 30'x18' run, the hens can come and go as they please. I have 2 feeders so they can eat as they please. I feed about a pound of mixed grain(oats, milo and sunflower seeds) morning and evening. And they have 2 waterers. They have very little stress. In January/February i was getting 10-12 eggs a day, it suddenly dropped to 2-4 eggs a day. How can I get them to lay more?

 

[Cntry1958]

So the big question is where is your other eggs going to. Do they free range or are they in a coop? Are any of them broody or molting right now? This is also another reason hens stop laying for a bit. If they are in a coop is it possible someone maybe stealing the eggs. I think I would place a camera and somewhere inside the coop and see what is going on.

 

[redsoxs]

Greet.i gas from Kansas, Tony85, and ! Pleased you joined our community! That's quite a conundrum. . The other greeters have asked all the questions I would have asked so I'm stumped as well unless the answer lies in one of the suggestions they provided. Hope you get it solved soon. Best wishes and thanks for joining BYC!

 

[tony55]

Thanks

 

[tony55]

They are in a coop. I gather eggs every afternoon about 4pm here in Texas. I've had rats in the past but have eliminated them. They have not gone into molt yet. Could it be a lack of protein? I've been told to feed them ground beef and that would get them laying again?

 

[Cntry1958]

They are in a coop. I gather eggs every afternoon about 4pm here in Texas. I've had rats in the past but have eliminated them. They have not gone into molt yet. Could it be a lack of protein? I've been told to feed them ground beef and that would get them laying again?

Tony I have never heard about giving them ground beef, but I have only been raising chickens for a year now. Do they get ground oster shells? I had always been told not to give them meat so I feed mine feed and give them oster shells that are ground up cracked corn, meal worms as well as table scraps and greens and veggies and fruits that are turning or I had left over. I also let them out to eat bugs and other things in the yard. I think I would check and see what the requirements of protein they need and make sure its correct in their feed before I gave them ground beef.

Hens need lots of protein too, especially during the seasons when they are laying. Most layer mashes have 16% to 20% protein. My hens get every protein scrap I can find from my kitchen scraps and I even scramble eggs and make extra oatmeal occasionally if my granddaughter is here. They love those treats even more in the winter when they can’t find much on their own. Hens also need extra calcium when they are laying lots of eggs. A good recyclable source is to grind up egg shells after drying them and mixing the shell in with their feed. I use a small coffee grinder to grind up my shells.

 

[N F C]

That is a puzzle...is there any chance you could have an egg-eater in the coop? Sometimes chickens will discover how tasty the eggs are and eat them before you can pick them up.