Egg production problem in pastured chickens (fed sorghum, barley and oats)

[AnneDrum]

Hi everyone.

I have 16 chickens. 4 roosters and 12 hens, 8 months old.

I am getting between 2-5 eggs per day from the girls and on very few occassions, 6 or 7 eggs. I feel this is too low. If they lay a minimum of 3 eggs per week per hen, I should be getting at least 5 eggs a day. such lovely eggs though with bright orange yolks!

I feed them soaked red sorghum (70%), barley (20%) and oats (10%) twice a day. There is usually some left after they eat so I know it is enough at a time. The rest of the day they pasture on green lucerne and scratch around for bugs and worms etc. I occassionally feed them some of their own crushed egg shells and gave them a bit of bone meal too. Occassionally add DE too.

Recently the 4th rooster matured (he was a late bloomer) and has been harrassing the poor hens so we separated him since we noticed a drop in egg production because of him. So currently there are 3 active roosters in with the 12 hens which I suspect is too many, but the hens don't seem too distressed by the three of them (unless I am missing it because I am still learning).

I don't feed them any corn (yet) because I can't currently source non-GMO corn where I live.
I am worried though that they are lacking somthing in their diet.
Some of the roosters' combs are a bit faded and have dark spots, but it's been like that for a long time without them displaying any signs of illness. All chickens look healthy, no mites etc.

They have plenty egg boxes above eye sight, and always have access to water and shelter.

Any advice as to how I can get more egg production? Too many Roo's? Too little food variety? Supplementation? Those combs an issue? Should I rather not soak/ferment the grain?
Perhaps I am doing something wrong.

Thanks in advance for any help!

 

[aart]

Pastured...might they be laying out in their range area?
It's often a good idea to confine free range birds to coop and run for a week or so to 'force' them into the habit of laying in coop nests, might need to be occasionally repeated.

They have plenty egg boxes above eye sight

Above who's eyesight, yours or the chickens? Can they easily access the nests? Pics would help. Nest height doesn't really matter as long as they can get in and out ok, and lower than roosts so they don't sleep in nests.

That many youngish cockerels(you have cockerels and pullets until a year old) could definitely be stressing the pullets which can impede laying. I'd get rid of all of them, or maybe keep one if you plan on incubating eggs for more chickens.

It is the 'dark' season. Shorter daylight hours can decrease production even in first year layers. 25 days until Solstice and the days will slowly begin to lengthen.
Oh wait, Never mind, looked at your other posts and discovered you are in South Africa....so summer there. Would be good if you put your location in your profile, easy to do and then it's always there. Will garner you better advice/suggestions

Not sure about your feed.
Have you tested and calculated protein levels?
Are you mixing in bulk?
Are grains cracked or whole?
Are you adding a poultry 'premix' to the grains that contains the basic and essential vitamins/minerals/amino acids that they need for efficient nutrient uptake?

 

[AnneDrum]

Pastured...might they be laying out in their range area?
It's often a good idea to confine free range birds to coop and run for a week or so to 'force' them into the habit of laying in coop nests, might need to be occasionally repeated.

Thanks for your reply!
They are not laying anywhere else luckily. One hen used to jump over the fence to the other "field" to lay in a coop there, but we knew about it and clipped wings etc. We always walk around to check the area for stray eggs and none so far.

 

[AnneDrum]

Above who's eyesight, yours or the chickens? Can they easily access the nests? Pics would help. Nest height doesn't really matter as long as they can get in and out ok, and lower than roosts so they don't sleep in nests.

The coop is 1m high and the nest boxes are above their eyesight only. The laying boxes are slighly above their perches. but they are able to get in as we find all the eggs in the nests we provided.

 

[AnneDrum]

Not sure about your feed.
Have you tested and calculated protein levels?
Are you mixing in bulk?
Are grains cracked or whole?
Are you adding a poultry 'premix' to the grains that contains the basic and essential vitamins/minerals/amino acids that they need for efficient nutrient uptake?

1. Nope, haven't tested the protein levels.
2. Mixing as I go. so buy the grain separately.
3. The grains are whole.
4. No poultry pre-mix as I am avoiding hormones, GMOs, and other nasties like antibiotics. I am sure where you are that you can get a pre-mix without those, but not where I'm at. I have thought of supplementing with tiny amounts of fish meal now and then. Most poultry foods here are corn-based which is going to be largely GM corn.

 

[AnneDrum]

That many youngish cockerels(you have cockerels and pullets until a year old) could definitely be stressing the pullets which can impede laying. I'd get rid of all of them, or maybe keep one if you plan on incubating eggs for more chickens

Thanks for the info! Will keeping 1 cockerel be enough? Perhaps I will keep 1 as I want to eventually hatch some eggs using a different line of hens (or rooster). Will one rooster be enough to fertilise eggs from 12 hens?

 

[aart]

Your finding some eggs in nests, but maybe not all of them.
They are sneaky hiders of nests, confining them is the only way to be sure.

1 male should be able to fertilize 12 females easily.
Have read of much higher successful ratios in BY flocks.
Commercial hatchery/breeding standards for fertility efficacy is 1:10.
No guarantees, as fertility has numerous aspects.

Not sure if premix has any of the 'nasties' you want to avoid, but not giving them vitamins/minerals/amino acids may well be part of your production problem.
You might try searching, or starting a thread in, the feed forum to help balance your birds nutrition.

 

[sourland]

What you are feeding is not nutritionally correct for maximum egg production.

 

[AnneDrum]

Your finding some eggs in nests, but maybe not all of them.
They are sneaky hiders of nests, confining them is the only way to be sure.

1 male should be able to fertilize 12 females easily.
Have read of much higher successful ratios in BY flocks.
Commercial hatchery/breeding standards for fertility efficacy is 1:10.
No guarantees, as fertility has numerous aspects.

Not sure if premix has any of the 'nasties' you want to avoid, but not giving them vitamins/minerals/amino acids may well be part of your production problem.
You might try searching, or starting a thread in, the feed forum to help balance your birds nutrition.

Thank-you! Your input is invaluble to me.

I forgot to mention that there's a tail feather pecking problem too, so could be a protein shortage among other things(as far as I've researched). I used to feed them mealworms, but I ran out and had to wait for the worms to lay eggs and hatch.

 

[AnneDrum]

What you are feeding is not nutritionally correct for maximum egg production.

Thank you. Do you by any chance have any suggestions for me? I am trying to keep everything as natural as possible in terms of gmo's, hormones etc.