Egg Production

[roxanne]

This year, staring around the end of March, out of my 10 hens I was getting 6-7 eggs a day sometimes 8-9. Since the end of April, I am lucky to get maybe 3, and some of the eggs have really thin shells. It’s weird. I have not changed their feed, but have even added some corn/oat/barley/split pea
scratch in the evening before they go to roost for the night. Does anyone have any suggestions to help me figure out what is going on? I am wondering if I should stop feeding them the feed I get from Tractor Supply and get a local mill feed from the German Baptist family that makes their own chicken feed.
How can my chickens go from 7-9 a day down to three-four? There are no signs of molting and everyone is healthy. I am baffled.

 

[DobieLover]

but have even added some corn/oat/barley/split pea

Stop doing this. You are throwing off the balance of the feed and lowering the overall protein content.

the feed I get from Tractor Supply

Which is what?

Do your birds free range?

I would keep them on a balance ration that offers 18-20% protein. A non-layer mix. Put out 2 containers of oyster shell on the side for free choice feeding. Feed no more than one very small handful of scratch a day.

 

[roxanne]

Stop doing this. You are throwing off the balance of the feed and lowering the overall protein content.

Which is what?

Do your birds free range?

I would keep them on a balance ration that offers 18-20% protein. A non-layer mix. Put out 2 containers of oyster shell on the side for free choice feeding. Feed no more than one very small handful of scratch a day.

I only give them about a half a cup of scratch (between the 10 of them) at night before they are closed up for the night. The scratch is just a snack.