Feed and laying question

[Deegie]

This is my first flock. I have 11 hens and 1 Roo. This is their second winter. They are Buff Orpingtons. They are kept in a draft-free 8 X 12 Coop with a secure, covered, wind-protected, dry 10 X 16 run. Last year, we fed them Orscheln's brand layer crumbles. In the winter they slowed laying to 4-6 eggs per day from 7-9 they gave in the summer. Then our Orscheln's sold to Bomgaars in late summer. Of course, we still had some Orscheln's feed to go through as we switched over. This winter they have slowed from the 7-9 summer laying yield and have now slowed down to 1-2 per day. Is this the feed? The older birds? I mean they are not quite two years old yet. I have not been able to find any complaints on Bomgaars feed. Should I change? If so any recommendations? Thank you for your help.

 

[AinaWGSD]

It's probably the winter. Most birds lay super well during their first fall/winter season and significantly less the next. Most likely you would be seeing this kind of production drop off even if there hadn't been a change in the food.

If they otherwise seem to be doing well I'd stick with what you're on now and see if egg production ramps up in the spring.

 

[U_Stormcrow]

Production layers reduce their rate of lay approx 75%+/- each adult molt - so a 3rd year RSL produces only about half as many eggs as their first year.

Buff Orps obviously aren't production layers, but the claim is that most birds reduce rate of lay 80-85% year over year, so I would expect some decline each year.

There is almost nothing you can do with feed to substantially increase rate of lay (the difference between 16% crude protein and 20% crude protein on rate of lay is only a couple %, at best - something you can measure with good records, but likely wouldn't notice on your own).

There are plenty of things you can do to reduce rate of lay (apart from changing light levels, and onset of molt), but almost all of them have obvious health consequences other then reduced rate of lay which you would likely notice.

I would not be inclined to think it was feed related.

 

[TooCheep]

That is perfectly normal. Most chickens don't lay in winter. Some do in their first winter and very few after that first winter. You are describing exactly what I would predict based on my own experience.

 

[Deegie]

Thank you all for your replies. I knew that these hens did not lay every single day. I chose them for their sweet disposition. They do give us plenty of eggs as it is and even enough to sell some. I was worried they were not well. I am still learning. I learned a lot today from all of you. Thank you. They do seem healthy and yes they have been through their first molt. I am very pleased with how few problems we have had.

 

[nuthatched]

It's just because it's winters low daylight.
It wouldn't be the feed unless it's severely lacking or contained ridiculously high levels of zinc.

 

[Daisy June]

This is my first flock. I have 11 hens and 1 Roo. This is their second winter. They are Buff Orpingtons. They are kept in a draft-free 8 X 12 Coop with a secure, covered, wind-protected, dry 10 X 16 run. Last year, we fed them Orscheln's brand layer crumbles. In the winter they slowed laying to 4-6 eggs per day from 7-9 they gave in the summer. Then our Orscheln's sold to Bomgaars in late summer. Of course, we still had some Orscheln's feed to go through as we switched over. This winter they have slowed from the 7-9 summer laying yield and have now slowed down to 1-2 per day. Is this the feed? The older birds? I mean they are not quite two years old yet. I have not been able to find any complaints on Bomgaars feed. Should I change? If so any recommendations? Thank you for your help.

How long ago did the egg number fall to only 1 - 2? My six girls went from 4 - 6 to zero for several weeks as soon as the cooler weather and daylight savings time arrived simultaneously. Now, weeks later, they are about half way to normal. I did a couple of things to sooth the girls: A couple times a week, I gave them cracked corn and meal worms thrown into fallen, crunchy sycamore leaves. Also, I made sure they foraged a little more than usual during the sunniest part of the day. Your hens might just need a few happy surprises to get things going again.

 

[BigBlueHen53]

How many hours of daylight are your chickens getting? That's the trigger that causes ovulation. Protein helps, and once they start laying they will need calcium, but giving it to them will not cause them to lay. Cold temperatures are not a factor. They need a minimum of 12 hours of daylight a day, consistently to trigger ovulation.

 

[K0k0shka]

I did a couple of things to sooth the girls: A couple times a week, I gave them cracked corn and meal worms thrown into fallen, crunchy sycamore leaves. Also, I made sure they foraged a little more than usual during the sunniest part of the day. Your hens might just need a few happy surprises to get things going again.

Treats and free ranging will do nothing for egg production. There is no magic way to make hens lay more once you meet their needs. It's just biology at that point, and it depends on a lot of things, duration of daylight being an important factor.

As others have said, productivity drops after a hen's first year and first real molt. Most chickens will lay through their first winter (before they turn a year old), and then any winters after that, they will either slow down, or stop entirely. It has nothing to do with feed, it's just how it works. Productivity picks up again once the days start getting noticeably longer again. Winter is just a slow time in the chicken world.

OP, you're much further south than me so you still get at least something in the winter (your days aren't as short as mine). I have Orpingtons as well and they lay absolutely nothing from September to February. I have Wyandottes and Barnevelders as well, and they are the same way. They all lay through their first winter, and then never again any winters after that, only during the warm season.