Is Something Wrong with my Chickens? Fewer eggs and losing weight

[JenninAk]

First-year chicken keeper here. I have three 13-month-old hens, two Sapphire Gems and one Lavender Orpington. Since they starting laying last fall, they've averaged 3 eggs/day, sometimes 2. In the past month, I switched their food from 18% to 16% protein, and to crumble (I don't know what the old one was called, but you could see the grains and seeds in it). Now they appear to have lost weight, and are laying 1-2 eggs/day, and twice in the last week, 0. It could be that they're getting ready to molt, but I don't see any signs of that, or maybe just don't know what to look for. There aren't feathers all over the place, and no one is going bald. Just wondering if I should switch back to their other feed, or if something else could be wrong.

 

[21hens-incharge]

At 16% protein that is a minimum amount in the feed industry for laying hens.
The days are ALREADY getting shorter so molting isn't far off now.
Growing feathers takes a lot of energy and protein.
My recommendations are to switch them either back to the 18% feed or even a 20% and have a vet run a fecal float test to check for worms. The weight loss is the reason to check that.
If you do get a float test gather droppings from each bird so you pay once (it's usually about $40) and you will get a result for the whole group in one test.

 

[aart]

It could be that they're getting ready to molt, but I don't see any signs of that, or maybe just don't know what to look for. There aren't feathers all over the place, and no one is going bald.

Yes.
They usually stop laying before they start dropping feathers.

 

[JenninAk]

At 16% protein that is a minimum amount in the feed industry for laying hens.
The days are ALREADY getting shorter so molting isn't far off now.
Growing feathers takes a lot of energy and protein.
My recommendations are to switch them either back to the 18% feed or even a 20% and have a vet run a fecal float test to check for worms. The weight loss is the reason to check that.
If you do get a float test gather droppings from each bird so you pay once (it's usually about $40) and you will get a result for the whole group in one test.

Thanks--I went and got some 22% pellets to mix in, so maybe that will help. This may be a dumb question, but the only way to get droppings from each bird is to follow them around, I imagine? I don't really know who sits where to roost at night.

 

[21hens-incharge]

Thanks--I went and got some 22% pellets to mix in, so maybe that will help. This may be a dumb question, but the only way to get droppings from each bird is to follow them around, I imagine? I don't really know who sits where to roost at night.

If you can get a bit from every fresh poo under a he roost you will surely get theirs. That will give you a read on the entire flock.
Another option would be to crate them until they poo then set them free and gather the droppings. That will give you a read on those 2 birds.

 

[aart]

This may be a dumb question, but the only way to get droppings from each bird is to follow them around, I imagine? I don't really know who sits where to roost at night.

I have wire crates for isolating birds if I need to, that would be a sure fire way to get just their droppings.