Feeds affecting laying?

[U_Stormcrow]

I have half a bag of producers pride left. I am now buying animal station feed located in centerburg, Ohio made on site.

Producer's Pride Layer Formulation???

Can you spare a minute to snapshot a picture of the guaranteed nutrition label on your local feed? Regardless of whether or not there is a widespread, persistent feed problem (and I think most people know where my money is on that bet), I'd be interested in the nutritional differences between your new feed and old (according to the labels)

A snapshot of the PP Label and lot number would be great as well, but now I'm just being greedy for info.

 

[Aunt Angus]

I know the newbies bring up winter questions a lot and that muddies the water in this convo/mystery. Has anyone really had their chickens just not lay for 2-3 months at a time? I’m talking zero eggs. Or have I been lucky for 8 years except this year in getting a fraction throughout the snowy months?

I had zero eggs for a spell last winter between my older ladies slowing down, my younger birds not yet laying, and some really tough molts. It wasn't as long as some folks are reporting this year.

I'm not totally discounting that there may be a feed issue, but I do take issue with the theories involving Jeffrey Epstein, Bill Gates, the WEF, etc. I have serious doubts about The Man doing this to control us little farmers.

 

[JacinLarkwell]

I know the newbies bring up winter questions a lot and that muddies the water in this convo/mystery. Has anyone really had their chickens just not lay for 2-3 months at a time? I’m talking zero eggs. Or have I been lucky for 8 years except this year in getting a fraction throughout the snowy months?

Mine quit for roughly a month and a half, maybe two months completely this winter. Never had a complete lack if eggs, frozen or not before this year.

 

[U_Stormcrow]

Mine quit for roughly a month and a half, maybe two months completely this winter. Never had a complete lack if eggs, frozen or not before this year.

and I dropped to 4+/- eggs a day (flock below - six are roosters) for weeks. At one point I had to buy eggs for myself and my wife, all my production was going to a neighbor. If I hadn't staggered hatches all last year, I probably wouldn't have had that many, with half my girls coming into their third year. and yes, I feed local mill (20% protein mix) and free range acres in a very forgiving climate, with more daylight hours than the very vast majority of the nation. Some of my girls still don't have bright red combs and have not yet returned to laying (14 today by lunch time)

Oh, and three duck eggs in as many months.

 

[saysfaa]

...Has anyone really had their chickens just not lay for 2-3 months at a time? I’m talking zero eggs....

Yes.
I have Australorps and Brown Leghorns. Australorps are known for being good layers. Brown leghorns, not as much.

Zero eggs for one month last year (their pullet year) after several weeks of full production then gradually fewer eggs. Zero eggs for a full two months this year (same birds), after several weeks of gradually fewer eggs as they molted.

First egg of the year on nearly the same day each year.

Each year, I got brown eggs for weeks after the last white egg. Each year, I got brown eggs for weeks before the first white egg. So I know the leghorns stopped for about two months last year and at least three months this year.

I also know one of the australorps lays much like the leghorns because of her comb size and color combined with the pattern of number of eggs.

This year is much cloudier but, unlike last year, I opened the west door up in the late afternoon and left it open until full dark. It is a big door - 3'x7' - and there are no windows on the west side of the coop, so I think they got about the same number of minutes of useable light as last year. Therefore, I don't think they stopped because the feed is different.

I don't know if the feed is different. Only that zero eggs for weeks or months is normal in my climate/latitude, even for pullets and/or breeds known for laying. My flock is a small sample, but in line with all the pre-hub bub expectations I could find, real life contacts and printed.

Edit to fix some of the grammar and clarify

 

[Bhubbard]

No pullets no older layers 35 layers in the flock. Delaware, California’s, lavender Orpington, red star, black star, blue star, Ameraucanas,barred Rock, buff Orpington, black/ blue australorp, Brahmas, white leg horn is current make up of my flock I will get pictures of bags tonight for feed. Was out the door at 4 am my chickens are on automatic door with photo sensor so dawn until dusk they have full access to the sunlight outside on my property which includes 200 acres of farm land around me.

 

[Bhubbard]

I had a bag of new feed in back of suburban so I can post now will attach my old tonight.

 

[Sherry68lynn]

What have the companies said about this when they were approached (accused)? Did anyone even contact the companies before spreading this

I don’t think “spreading” a concern is a bad thing...We went from getting 6 to 8 eggs to the last week getting 19- 28 eggs a day with 70 laying chickens that are all 1 to 2 years old except for about 4 of them being 3 years old. We have had chickens for about 10 years now and had a catastrophe 4 years ago with Fox wiping out our smaller flock within about 20mins. So, given that the only difference is the feed, leaves me concerned about the feed. It’s not the first time it’s happened with these commercial feed manufacturers. There are recalls on dog and cat food all the time. You would be very naive to think it couldn’t happen with chicken feed or any other feed for that matter.

 

[NatJ]

@Sherry68lynn
The quotes are a bit messed up, but I think this is an account of your own experiences?
"I don’t think “spreading” a concern is a bad thing...We went from getting 6 to 8 eggs to the last week getting 19- 28 eggs a day with 70 laying chickens that are all 1 to 2 years old except for about 4 of them being 3 years old. We have had chickens for about 10 years now and had a catastrophe 4 years ago with Fox wiping out our smaller flock within about 20mins. So, given that the only difference is the feed, leaves me concerned about the feed. It’s not the first time it’s happened with these commercial feed manufacturers. There are recalls on dog and cat food all the time. You would be very naive to think it couldn’t happen with chicken feed or any other feed for that matter."

Do you still have any of the feed that caused the trouble?
@Aunt Angus is offering to pay for analysis of a feed sample, to try to figure out what factors are involved.

But she's having trouble finding anyone who still has any of the feed (some people kept feeding it until the bag was empty, and some changed immediately but threw out the old feed.)

https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/im-sending-feed-to-be-analyzed.1561749/
This thread is where she's especially asking for anyone to provide a sample.

 

[Sherry68lynn]

The real problem is there is never a "Hey guys, we were wrong, sorry for worrying you" phase of the story.

How many people, new and perhaps naive, make major changes because they thought they could trust the people sharing "stories"? I think it's a shame.
Most of the people involved in gossip don't care about the consequences for others who believed them.

That's really what modern conspiracy theories are. Gossip. A cheap thrill for the people that need more attention and have no other way to get it.

Daylight. Age of hen. Breed.

Daylight. Age of hen.

Daylight.

Well, it sounds like you are accusing a lot of people of crying wolf. I have goats so it was nothing to experiment for a day just to see if there was a change by switching feed for a day. The week before not getting more than 10 eggs and lowest 6. To overnight getting 19-28 this past week.. weather was same, daylight abt the same, nothing out of ordinary. I don’t know what’s going on but there is definitely something going on. Now, I don’t want to go back to the chicken feed. If switching to goat feed and I got the same amount of eggs or maybe one or 2 extra I would say that there probably isn’t an issue but that wasn’t the case and isn’t the case with most that are posting about it.