Egg laying issues

[ColorCountry]

Happy New Year all. Hope everyone is doing well, as far as chickens are concerned.

I have 3 Easter Eggers that are 10 months old. Several months ago I posted a thread about one of them pecking and breaking the pointy end of the egg. I placed
a couple of fake eggs in the nesting box, and she didn't damage the eggs as much. Now, however, she is spearing the pointy end of the egg with her beak, leaving
a 1/4 inch hole. I need some advice on what to do. She is my best layer, and we have lost lots of eggs lately.

I have another Easter Egger in the flock, and she has stopped laying all together for the past several months. She seems to have gone through a couple of mini
molts, shedding down feathers as well as tail and wing feathers. Her pea comb is a little paler than the other two, so I thought she might have mites or other
parasites. I have checked her a couple of times during the molts, and her skin is clear, as well as her vent. So I don't know what's going on. One other thing I
noticed is that she doesn't do the submissive squat anymore when I approach her. Is that something hormonal? The other two hens do the squat.

Since last October, I have let them free range in the backyard. I leave a bowl of their Flock Raiser and some fresh water in the yard for them. I also feed the wild
birds in the back yard, and the chickens also eat the bird food that falls on the ground. In the mornings I give them some Black Soldier Fly freeze dried larvae
made in the USA. They also get fresh fruit like apples once or twice a week, as well as fresh corn our neighbors gave us last fall. They also get Cheerios now and
the. They love that stuff.

My third hen lays eggs, and does not damage them. She also seems to have slowed down. Our winter so far here in Southern Utah has been mild, with only several
real snow storms.

So, what I have decided to do is not let them free range for the next month. I want them to eat only the Flock Raiser. I wonder if they are having nutritional issues
due to the free ranging. I mean those girls will eat anything. I caught them eating the styrofoam inserts inside of the support posts that hold our new patio cover
up. I blocked that off with rocks. I can't imagine what else they have been eating behind my back. LOL.

So, I'm looking for some sage advice on what might be going on, and what I can do to correct it. My egg stash is getting low!

 

[MissE]

Have you tried a layer mash?

 

[LizzzyJo]

Hens without lit coops will always slow down this time of year. It is totally normal. No worries on that. Let them continue to free range. I would also not be concerned about the squatting. Some just don't really do this.

As for the egg cracking and eating, this can be a huge issue. I have known people who culled hens for egg eating. Grab those eggs as fast as you can. I have no additional advise on that.

 

[rosemarythyme]

Might look into roll away nest boxes to try and counter the egg breaking/eating.

As far as the bird that's stopped laying, from all indications she's stopped laying due to length of daylight, just as you would see an older layer do (molt, then stop laying through winter). So come spring her comb should redden back up and she should start laying again.

 

[ColorCountry]

Happy New Year all. Hope everyone is doing well, as far as chickens are concerned.

I have 3 Easter Eggers that are 10 months old. Several months ago I posted a thread about one of them pecking and breaking the pointy end of the egg. I placed
a couple of fake eggs in the nesting box, and she didn't damage the eggs as much. Now, however, she is spearing the pointy end of the egg with her beak, leaving
a 1/4 inch hole. I need some advice on what to do. She is my best layer, and we have lost lots of eggs lately.

I have another Easter Egger in the flock, and she has stopped laying all together for the past several months. She seems to have gone through a couple of mini
molts, shedding down feathers as well as tail and wing feathers. Her pea comb is a little paler than the other two, so I thought she might have mites or other
parasites. I have checked her a couple of times during the molts, and her skin is clear, as well as her vent. So I don't know what's going on. One other thing I
noticed is that she doesn't do the submissive squat anymore when I approach her. Is that something hormonal? The other two hens do the squat.

Since last October, I have let them free range in the backyard. I leave a bowl of their Flock Raiser and some fresh water in the yard for them. I also feed the wild
birds in the back yard, and the chickens also eat the bird food that falls on the ground. In the mornings I give them some Black Soldier Fly freeze dried larvae
made in the USA. They also get fresh fruit like apples once or twice a week, as well as fresh corn our neighbors gave us last fall. They also get Cheerios now and
the. They love that stuff.

My third hen lays eggs, and does not damage them. She also seems to have slowed down. Our winter so far here in Southern Utah has been mild, with only several
real snow storms.

So, what I have decided to do is not let them free range for the next month. I want them to eat only the Flock Raiser. I wonder if they are having nutritional issues
due to the free ranging. I mean those girls will eat anything. I caught them eating the styrofoam inserts inside of the support posts that hold our new patio cover
up. I blocked that off with rocks. I can't imagine what else they have been eating behind my back. LOL.

So, I'm looking for some sage advice on what might be going on, and what I can do to correct it. My egg stash is getting low!

 

[ColorCountry]

Thank you all for the replies so far. I feel a little better knowing other chicken owners are
having the same experience with less egg production . I will look into using layer mash in the spring. I will look into ways to have newly laid eggs roll away into catch basin to prevent
my wayward hen from pecking them. Most of the time if she just cracks the pointy end
we boil the egg for future use.

 

[Ridgerunner]

I have 3 Easter Eggers that are 10 months old.
...............................
she is spearing the pointy end of the egg with her beak, leaving
a 1/4 inch hole.

The only ways I know to stop an egg eater for sure is to get rid of her or use a roll-away nest. I've seen various suggestions that could possibly, sometimes, maybe retrain her and sometimes they might work. You tried one and it did not. Since you only have three you probably don't want to get rid of one so I'd look into a roll-away nest.

she has stopped laying all together for the past several months.

Some pullets skip the molt their first fall/winter and keep laying until they molt the following fall. Some don't. From everything you say that one is not skipping the molt. It doesn't have anything to do with how you are feeding then or anything else that you are doing, it is simply nature. From what you often read on this forum you'd sometimes think that every chicken in the world would react exactly the same way but real life doesn't work that way. Each one is an individual that does his or her own thing. Now that the days are getting longer she should soon start laying again.