Low Egg Production/Weight Loss?

[Bird Lady]

I have a flock of 8 hens that has been producing quite regular, this spring I added 6 more pullets ( one turned out to be a roo ), to make room I changed up the coop and nest boxes a bit. Since then egg production is low but the primary flock doesn't seem to have the weight they once had. Im wondering what I should do to add some weight to them and if that is a factor in the decline in egg production, I feed 18% lay pellets and they free range all day. Any suggestions would be helpful. Thanks

 

[Folly's place]

Any stress will slow egg production, and adding new birds stresses all of them. Other issues; molting, internal parasites, external parasites, crowding in the coop and run. Check the birds carefully at night for mites and lice, and maybe have a fecal sample checked. You could worm everyone with ivermectin, killing many external parasites at the same time. Mary