Eggs not laying - new to the game please help!!!

[Chad Nolen]

So I am new to this, but we are excited to get this backyard chicken pen going. Some issues came about early on. We just go them 2 weeks ago, but getting very very few eggs 2-3 a day.

We have a 5 x 8 coop with 10 hens & 1 rooster. All from a very clean farm and young birds
- 1 Rhode Island Red Rooster
- 2 barred rock
- 3 easter eggers
- 5 rhode island red hens

I have (1) 15 lb feeder & (1) 4gallon waterer with 2 cups in the coop. Also a 3 lb feeder for oyster shells. I'm not quite done with the pen which will be 20' x 28' so the birds are just in the coop. I will have separate feed & water in run out pen also. The 1st few days we had the rubber pans I have removed them over a week ago and used the hanging feeders from my work.

We feed them layer crumbles from the local store & occasionally vegetables.

Is this to confined of an area? We are only getting 2-3 eggs a day?

I noticed on (1) of the RIR that there is a bare spot by the vent. I saw a bird pecking at it. Does this mean we need to get the RIR out of the pen immediately? I'm reading different things about this. The issue is not bad, but I want to address it now.

Do I let the coop door, windows & vent open or closed in the winter for them to go outside or shut it to keep warmer air inside?

Any other suggestions would be great. We are new to this, but not sure we haven't caused some issues early on.

 

[EggSighted4Life]

Hi, welcome to BYC!

You don't mention the age of your birds.

Blu Kote is a good product to hide red from injuries and stop the other birds from picking. I wouldn't isolate her unless the pecking is serious because re integration can be difficult.

Allow the birds to roam during winter. They are wearing nice down jackets. Adjust your windows and such as needed. No drafts directly at the level of the birds. But plenty of ventilation especially in very cold climates. The cold air doesn't cause frost bite... the moisture freezing in the cold air does. So keeping the humidity level low is what counts.

Your house is definitely crowded right now. It should improve when you have the run built. Yes it could be contributing to your limited production. Rocks and EE will only lay about every other day depending on age. And EE have been very inconsistent layers for me. They may also be settling in to their new surroundings. In addition, daylight is getting shorter every day which does diminish laying for most breeds.

Cute flock, looks like a lovely set up. You might consider rounding the edges of your roost just a bit with a sander or plane to make more comfy on the feet gripping?

I personally keep my feed and such in the run ONLY... so they poo less in the house and I don't attract rodents in there. I still cover it every night to.

 

[Junochick]

Your girls just moved 2 weeks ago, they need some time to get adjusted to their new home. How old are they? Some of the girls might not be old enough to lay yet.

 

[Chad Nolen]

I'm trying to see how old they are, but yes they are young. I was pretty sure I was told they are old enough to lay.

I like the idea of food in the run only, but harder to keep water from freezing? I don't have a hydrant out there

 

[Chad Nolen]

I also read that as soon as there is vent pecking to remove the bird? so that is what I did. you disagree I take it?

 

[bobbi-j]

So I am new to this, but we are excited to get this backyard chicken pen going. Some issues came about early on. We just go them 2 weeks ago, but getting very very few eggs 2-3 a day.

We have a 5 x 8 coop with 10 hens & 1 rooster. All from a very clean farm and young birds
- 1 Rhode Island Red Rooster
- 2 barred rock
- 3 easter eggers
- 5 rhode island red hens

I have (1) 15 lb feeder & (1) 4gallon waterer with 2 cups in the coop. Also a 3 lb feeder for oyster shells. I'm not quite done with the pen which will be 20' x 28' so the birds are just in the coop. I will have separate feed & water in run out pen also. The 1st few days we had the rubber pans I have removed them over a week ago and used the hanging feeders from my work.

We feed them layer crumbles from the local store & occasionally vegetables.

Is this to confined of an area? We are only getting 2-3 eggs a day?

I noticed on (1) of the RIR that there is a bare spot by the vent. I saw a bird pecking at it. Does this mean we need to get the RIR out of the pen immediately? I'm reading different things about this. The issue is not bad, but I want to address it now.

Do I let the coop door, windows & vent open or closed in the winter for them to go outside or shut it to keep warmer air inside?

Any other suggestions would be great. We are new to this, but not sure we haven't caused some issues early on.

Chickens hate change. Any kind of change - change in location, weather, feed, flock mates - can affect their laying. Moving from one place to another can throw them off for a few weeks, even a month or more. If they are a year old or so, and you're in the Northern Hemisphere (it does help us help you if you add your general location) they may be getting ready to molt. That will also halt laying. They may not start again until Feb. or March if that's the case.

I think your housing is a bit tight for the amount of birds you have. Any chance you can let them out to free range so they can have some room?

As far as winter goes, a picture of your coop would be helpful for us to point out whether or not you have adequate ventilation. I leave my pop door open until it's in the the teens below zero. We have vented soffits so the warm air can rise and help the moisture escape. Cold and dry is much better than warmer and too humid. When I first started with chickens, I would lock them up tight for the winter. I had more problems with respiratory issues and frostbite then I ever have since I learned about good ventilation vs. closing everything up.

I don't know that I'd have removed the one with the bare spot on her vent right away. If you keep her out too long, you could have reintegration issues to deal with, and that can sometimes require a lot more room than you have. If it were me, I'd let them out to free range and turn her loose with them so hopefully she can just rejoin the flock. Something to think about - over crowding can cause bad habits such as vent and feather picking.

 

[Chad Nolen]

I'm in Pa & pretty sure birds are less then a year old.

that was my next question if the coop is overcrowded should I get rid of 1 bird or open it up to the range. I don't have my coop protected from predators yet so I don't want to leave them out at night.

 

[Chickassan]

You should probably let them out to range they should put themselves to roost in your coop at night all you have to do is close up.Letting them out to forage will solve most if not all of your pecking problems.

 

[EggSighted4Life]

I'm in Pa & pretty sure birds are less then a year old.

that was my next question if the coop is overcrowded should I get rid of 1 bird or open it up to the range. I don't have my coop protected from predators yet so I don't want to leave them out at night.

I would let them out to range. But there are day time predators as well. It's a risk I take. And I have lost a couple birds over 6 years. My predator load isn't too heavy with hawks and fox and such. It might still be a learning curve for your environment. But we all start somewhere and adjust as we go.

As far as removing the bird as soon as there is vent pecking, I guess it would depend on the situation. Generally I would try to resolve the root cause of the symptom first... ie: space, nutrition, boredom, injury. But it is true that vent pecking can VERY rapidly turn cannibalistic and when one birds acts excited the flurry of chasing and grabbing unleashes. As well when birds see one down they often want to peck it too in order to gain higher position in the pecking order. Chickens can indeed be brutal.

No matter what anybody tells you, do what seems to make the most sense to you. What works for me might not work for you. We have different environments, set ups, mentality, birds. If it doesn't work, switch it up. Each and every bird is an individual and will act as such.

If they've been homed to your coop for 2 weeks and your not too worried about daytime predators let them out and return her when you can. If she's been in their sight and not gone too long she may still be OK. Otherwise set up look but don't touch for daytime and then sneak her back on roost during the night so they all wake up together. (if her bum is OK or Blu Koted).

And make sure you are avoiding low protein/nutrient snacks like extra corn or scratch. If you already feed Layer (16% protein), diminishing below that can cause behavioral and laying/health issues.

Just because a bird is old enough to lay doesn't mean they are. My leghorn was old enough to lay at 16 weeks but didn't start until 24. With the changes, I would give them time.