How many of you are experiencing a drop in egg production?

[cactus-hen]

I have 12 chickens capable of giving me eggs. I was getting 8 - 10 eggs every day this summer. Then 2 went broody, 6-8 eggs daily. Then I started seeing enough feathers to suspect a predator problem, but no predator. Egg production dropped to 2-3 eggs daily. I upped their calorie intake and protein level, made sure that there was a lot of oyster shell available and my two broodies finished raising their babies. I am back up to 5-6 eggs daily. No matter where you're located, your egg production will drop in the winter. Egg production isn't a factor of cold weather but of daily light exposure. The more light, the more eggs. The age and breed of your chickens will also have an effect on how many eggs will be produced in winter. I rest my hens in the winter. Some say you get a longer egg producing life if they rest.

 

[blueseal]

i get 9-16 eggs a day from 19 laying hens. havent got 19 in one day yet. i put a light in the coop back in september on at 3am off at 8am.

 

[mom4morecritters]

I have 15-20 layers (lost count between hatching our own, selling some chicks, and butchering some roos) and haven't had an egg in WEEKS!

We think the beginning of the decline was due to a few of my pygmy goats getting out of their pen and into the chicken coops (a hen house for my standards and a smaller one for my bantams). They got into the chicken feed, I think they ate the eggs too. We wonder if the girls didn't find somewhere else to lay their eggs because they free range and we have a LOT of woods! I really wish they would have let me in on their hiding place!

We've had temps as low as -20 to -30 with the windchill a few times this past week. I had Christmas rope lights in the chicken coops last year and a heating lamp. Egg production only dropped by about 50%, which I thought was pretty good. I need to get those lights up again! The goats haven't escaped for over 2 weeks now so I'm keeping my fingers crossed that egg production will BEGIN again!

My mother-in-law was buying 4 doz. a week from me until 6 weeks ago, now I don't even have ONE egg for us! I desperately need to start my holiday baking and I can NOT see myself buying eggs at the store!

~A

 

[mastiffhumvee]

I have 10 hens and since they matured in Nov 2009, they picked up to 8-9 eggs per day all winter & spring. Suddenly, in May, I'm getting only 2-4 eggs per day, and I noticed my brown tinted eggs are getting very pale - significantly within a week. The only change is that we've added 5 pullets and they hang out in the henhouse day & night. I thought maybe we have an egg eater or that the ladies are laying in a hidden location, but I've combed the yard & I haven't found any debris or mess I would expect from a broken egg. Any ideas? Vicki in Placer County

 

[Memphis Hens]

None of my hens have laid since October!

I've tried everything, lights, crushed oyster shells, organic feed etc. It is May now and there still not laying, and these are R.I.R !

They are Not molting and they are only about a year old! They have no excuse. Please help.How do I get them to lay again?

 

[JimWWhite]

I have 19 Gold Comets and until the past few days I've been getting 18 or 19 eggs each day now that the weather has warmed up. During the winter we were lucky because the Gals gave us 16 to 18 eggs each day without fail, even with the nasty rotten wet cold weather we had for months. But just in the past few days we've fallen off to 15 or 16 eggs a day. And I'm seeing a lot of loose feathers in the run these days and some of the Gals are showing some white on their breasts, backs, and just ahead of their tail feathers. I'm assuming they are beginning their molt. The first six are now almost 18 months old and I suspect that group has just started their molt. Hopefully they'll finish up and get back on line before the second group of 6 who are about 12 weeks younger than the first start their molt. The third group of 7 are probably 12 weeks younger still. Oh well, that's the way it is. But next week we're getting another 11 GC started pullets (18 weeks old) and they'll be laying within a few weeks after they come in.

ps... And we've also noticed two or three of the Gals have been laying pale eggs too. Normally the GC's lay nice brown eggs, but these are pretty pale in comparison.

 

[JimWWhite]

Quote:
Ok, I can only speak from my experience, but have you tried giving them greens? When we go to the market we always look for the cheapest lettuce, collards, kale, etc. and if they have anything on the discount rack we'll get it. If we can find lettuce at around $1 a head or less we'll buy it. We give the Gals a head once a day when we can get it and they have been great, great layers all winter and spring. Sometimes we chop it up and give it to them and sometimes we'll hang a head on a string in the run and they make a lettuce pinata out of it. Now we're getting lettuce, bok choy, and other greens from the garden and we give them the outer leaves and the less desirable parts. They go nuts over it. It's gotta be good for them. I think the greens have played a big part in our getting such great production from them all winter long.

 

[feathersnuggles]

Quote:
That IS strange you have had no eggs since October. How many hens do you have? Anyway, looks like you're already providing some good things by offering them crushed oyster shell, and quality feed, clean water, etc.

But, besides not getting enough nutrition or light, there are still other situations that can cause egg-laying to stop:

1. Stress. Any predator attack recently? Construction noise nearby? New additions to the flock? Change of coop location? New neighbors?
2. Molting. (you said this isn't the case)
3. Broodiness.
4. Oviduct maintenance - one of my hens has been undergoing what I can only describe as "shell gland maintenance".
5. Hiding eggs. Do they free-range? Can they be laying someplace other than the nestboxes: in the woods, under the henhouse, porch, under shrubbery?
6. Protein. If their only protein comes from the feed, you can always up their protein levels a bit, by offering some meat or fish scraps, a little dry cat food, mealworms, from time to time.

Do they look healthy? Do they eat & drink well and does their poop look normal? Are they active and vigorous? All this can affect egg-laying, too. Good luck. I hope they come through for you, soon.

 

[QuanYin4]

My 1 year old Buff Orpingtons stopped laying about 6 months ago. We did have a mite problem, but they are looking good and we dust at each bedding change. They get layer feed and lettuce for treats, and have plenty of outdoors time. Does anyone have suggestions? I'm hoping the Summer heat will get them started again, but it's been a loooong time without eggs!