Pardon my venting, but this is irks me a tad. It strikes me as an attempt to ridicule people who struggle to identify a perceived problem with their chickens. And, of all places, that should not happen here.
Let's not forget that many of the people who have mentioned issues are not new chicken owners. They are familiar with egg decline in winter and during molts. Yes, the discussion gets amplified by those that could be experiencing that for the first time. Be respectful of those with experience and are still struggling to identify a perceived problem with their chickens.
It's great that people here are assisting with testing feed.
As many people have pointed out, it seems highly unlikely that from a self-interest/profit standpoint a company would knowingly /willingly sell bad feed. At the same time, well before this ever came up, when I read of people having issues, one of the first things asked of them is 'what are you feeding your chickens?' It is reasonable for people to look at feed as a potential issue.
Feed issues happen. And even if your batch of the same brand is not causing you problems, does not mean it isn't causing problems elsewhere.
The FDA Suspects Tainted Pet Foods Poisoned Hundreds Of Dogs
FDA Warns Consumers Not to Use Certain Powdered Infant Formula Produced in Abbott Nutrition’s Facility in Sturgis, Michigan
And, it's also worth pointing out that things written off as conspiracy once sometimes show up later as true. So, rather than using a 'conspiracy' label to avoid rational discussion, you may simply be better off avoiding the discussion. I suggest you review Operation Northwoods, Operation Mockingbird, MKUltra, Project Sunshine, Gulf of Tonkin, the USS Liberty.
While I personally don't see this as a clandestine action, it would not surprise me in the least of something got tainted somewhere. It would not surprise me in the least if a corporation would attempt to hide something that goes wrong to protect their bottom line.
It also is worth keeping an eye on which corporations and organization own and control significant percentages of any sector such as food and medicine. It is worth noting that governments have a long history of being influenced by the most financially powerful. Legislators, the US Patent Office, the FDA etc can greatly influence which corporations make major profits and which do not. One person can feel very small when up against major corporations backed by government force.