Hens' laying fewer eggs now since spring

[QChickieMama]

I have 16 hens, all between 1-2.5 yrs old and in good health. This spring, once they started laying, we were getting 14-15 eggs per day! Now that it's June, we're getting 8-10 eggs per day. What is the deal?

They're not molting. The weather has been mild, a bit rainy, 70s and 80s high temps.

What variables should I be considering?

 

[silkiechicken]

If they are hiding eggs, changes in diet, them eating eggs, something stealing eggs, pests, and if 70-80F with high humidity is stressing them out. My birds really don't care for temps over 70 and go hide in the shade or under trees/bushes.

 

[QChickieMama]

If they are hiding eggs, changes in diet, them eating eggs, something stealing eggs, pests, and if 70-80F with high humidity is stressing them out. My birds really don't care for temps over 70 and go hide in the shade or under trees/bushes.

Thanks for the helpful list.
Can't hide eggs: they're in a tractor or in a barn.
Eating eggs: about once per week, I do find sign of a broken egg, but I still think there are fewer eggs.
Stealing eggs: they're confined.
Pests: like what? There are teensy mice. Could they be a problem?
Warmth/humidity: This could be part of the problem. We're in NC with crazy high humidity.
Diet: Here's a question... I did put them on a soaked grain feed once per day (cracked corn & wheat, soaked 24hrs w/bit of vinegar) to boost their good bacteria and fluid intake. I also read that the soaking would increase the available protein in the grain. Their layer pellets have always been available, plus grit, sand, gravel, grass, & bugs from being in mobile chicken tractors. Could adding soaked grain to their diet adversely affect their laying habits? I was hoping that offering soaked grain this summer would help them stay hydrated in the 100s temps that we'll face for July & August.

 

[silkiechicken]

Pests, like external parasites (mites/lice), or internal ones (worms)... or external ones like rats (rats do steal eggs by rolling them away... I've seen this).

High humidity and elevated temps can make them overheat and be less comfortable so to say. They rely on evaporative cooling through panting because they can't sweat.

However, with your note about change in diet, that sounds like the key to your egg "problem". Technically, egg laying ration is a balanced diet for efficient egg laying. Eating only formulated feed should produce you steady eggs. Adding supplements, especially ones that throw off the balance in the formulated rations, can and often will disrupt egg laying or reduce it, if they are not getting enough net protein or some other mineral/vitamin. Even if soaking cracked corn allowed for 100% uptake of the 8 or 9% protein that it contains, the feed is likely 14-16% protein. You can't get what isn't there in the first place. If you want to keep feeding soaked grain, I'd make sure that it is no more than 10% of their daily feed intake. If they are eating their eggs, that can be a hard habit to break... so I'd really try hard to rid of the issue. A few shells can easily mean a good number of eggs are missing. They can be real good at eating up the evidence.

 

[QChickieMama]

Pests, like external parasites (mites/lice), or internal ones (worms)... or external ones like rats (rats do steal eggs by rolling them away... I've seen this).

High humidity and elevated temps can make them overheat and be less comfortable so to say. They rely on evaporative cooling through panting because they can't sweat.

However, with your note about change in diet, that sounds like the key to your egg "problem". Technically, egg laying ration is a balanced diet for efficient egg laying. Eating only formulated feed should produce you steady eggs. Adding supplements, especially ones that throw off the balance in the formulated rations, can and often will disrupt egg laying or reduce it, if they are not getting enough net protein or some other mineral/vitamin. Even if soaking cracked corn allowed for 100% uptake of the 8 or 9% protein that it contains, the feed is likely 14-16% protein. You can't get what isn't there in the first place. If you want to keep feeding soaked grain, I'd make sure that it is no more than 10% of their daily feed intake. If they are eating their eggs, that can be a hard habit to break... so I'd really try hard to rid of the issue. A few shells can easily mean a good number of eggs are missing. They can be real good at eating up the evidence.

Super helpful advice here. Thank you. I've discontinued soaked grain as of yesterday. We'll see if their production ramps up in a while.

 

[chicks and hens2]

Pests, like external parasites (mites/lice), or internal ones (worms)... or external ones like rats (rats do steal eggs by rolling them away... I've seen this).

High humidity and elevated temps can make them overheat and be less comfortable so to say. They rely on evaporative cooling through panting because they can't sweat.

However, with your note about change in diet, that sounds like the key to your egg "problem". Technically, egg laying ration is a balanced diet for efficient egg laying. Eating only formulated feed should produce you steady eggs. Adding supplements, especially ones that throw off the balance in the formulated rations, can and often will disrupt egg laying or reduce it, if they are not getting enough net protein or some other mineral/vitamin. Even if soaking cracked corn allowed for 100% uptake of the 8 or 9% protein that it contains, the feed is likely 14-16% protein. You can't get what isn't there in the first place. If you want to keep feeding soaked grain, I'd make sure that it is no more than 10% of their daily feed intake. If they are eating their eggs, that can be a hard habit to break... so I'd really try hard to rid of the issue. A few shells can easily mean a good number of eggs are missing. They can be real good at eating up the evidence.

I am wondering if that's why my production has been off for a long time. I was advised through this site last year that oatmeal helped increase egg production and it seemed to for a while but then it dropped off during the Winter which I thought was normal and it has never recovered I have 15 hens in their 2nd and 3rd years of lay and I give them about 1 cup of cooked steel cut oats mixed with the finings of their ration that they wouldn't normally eat because it's fine/powdery stuff which is mainly the nutra- balancer and other vitamins minerals etc, it's everything that isn't the grain that's left behind daily that I mix with the oatmeal and warm water and they gobble it down. They are wormed on a regular schedule and they free range about 6-8 hours daily. I only get about 7 eggs from the 15 hens.