eggs production cut less that 50% in 6 days

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mmd2803

mmd2803

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Hello all, i have 59 hens. A mix of cinnamon queens, barred rocks road Island reds, easter eggers, and black sex links. 16 are from last years flock. The reds and blk sex link are 20 weeks. The other 34 are 24 weeks old. I know my older hens from last year are not laying good. Before I got the new ones they were only laying around 9 a day. I had rooster that were really stressing them out. We culled them. The dilemma i am having is as follows. On 9/13/16 we collected 50 eggs, the most we have had. Prior to this we have been getting 38-45. Also on 9/13/16 I discovered a dead bird. It was one of my youngest (blk sex link). Wasnt too concerened yet. The next day we collected only 28 eggs and found one more dead bird. One of the queens from the 24 week group. At this point im a bit more concerened. I have not found any more birds thankfully, but egg production is still down a lot. From 9-15-16 to today 9-18-16 the counts go as follows; 28, 31, 30, 24.
I am hoping someone can give me some insight as to whwn my hens are laying so poorly so suddenly.
Thank you
 
Do you live in a high heat area? If it's very hot where you live, they may be dropping dead from the heat & stress. Chickens tolerate cold much better than heat. If your rooster is stressing them out, that adds to their heat stress. They need shade, shade, and more shade - real (trees) or manufactured, tarps over the top of the run. Loads of clean, cool water. Shallow pans they can stand in - cool feet = cooler bird. Misting hoses are good. You can also wet down the dirt - to give them cooler areas to dig in. If you can set up a fan somewhere safe for them - moving air feels cooler even if the temps are high.

Many breeds will slow down or stop laying until the weather cools off. If you aren't having hot temps, then post again so we can try and think of another reason.
 
Hi and welcome to BYC - thanks for joining us. It seems like you have a bit of a quandary on your hands. If heat is not the issue, you could try posting on the Chicken Behaviours and Egg laying forum (do mention that possible heat issues have been discounted).

Good luck
CT
 
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Go post more info on what is going on here ~

https://www.backyardchickens.com/f/10/emergencies-diseases-injuries-and-cures
 
How big is your coop and run for 59 birds?

Wondering if all the new birds could have caused overcrowding, stressing the birds which could lead to fighting (dead birds) and stress (reduced laying)
 
Heat is not currently a problem. Last year we lost one hen due to heat. 96+º. It has been in the upper 70's to low 80's. The coop is approximately 280-300sq feet. I have 2 large feeders and 2 large waterers. There is 13 nesting boxes. I keep the light dimmer near the boxes. They have an access door I open in the am and close after darj. This leades to a 3 acre pasture they have complete access to. They do have ample shape with the shrubs around just outside the coop. The coop is a walled off portion to my barn. It was stuffy and they were making an awfull dusty mess so I added a much needed exhaust fan.
This is my second year with birds. I feed them layer 16% protein crubles. They also get vegitables from the garden and the occasional hand full of corn and sunflowers.
 
Thank you all for the warm welcomes. I am sorry that should have been the first thing I said.
 

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