Need help with laying issues

[rlmiddlebrooks]

Ok help needed here. I have 5 GC's and 4 EE. All around 6-7 months old. I had 2 of my comets start laying on 8-4 and 8-5 the other 3 have been free loaders until last Friday when another two started laying. The two that have been laying for a month just stopped laying when these other two started laying. Nothing has changed at all in the last week to make them stop laying except these two that started laying. I'm not sure what I can or should do. All look healthy and are eating well. I have them on layer feed and keep it available at all times as well as oyster shell. Clean fresh water everyday very few treats....maybe twice a week I will throw them some BOSS. I keep the coup and run and nest boxes clean and they all seem happy. What could be causing this problem? Also no molt and combs are full and mostly red. One of the combs is more pink than usual.

Just a side note the comets were all hatched and raised together. I did add the Easter eggers two weeks ago but have kept them separate since. Also I noticed the last two nights one of the comets that quit laying refused to go into the coop and I had to put her on the roost after dark.

Not losing feathers at all and not acting out of the norm other than the one not going in the coop. Could it be mites? Could we have a predator that's trying to get in the coop? Could it be the shorter days? I raised chickens years ago and just got back into it. I'm really worried about my girls. If this is normal I will just sit back and watch but it just seems out of the norm.

Thanks in advance for your help
Rlmiddlebrooks

 

[Egghead_Jr]

I wouldn't worry about it and chalk it up to them settling into lay. First few weeks of laying birds can be very intermittent.

 

[aart]

How big is coop(feet by feet)?

So 2 weeks ago there was a change, a pretty big change, you added 4 more birds....
...and now they are 'separate'.

More details on set up(sizes, pics) and timeline might help.

 

[azygous]

Like aart says, change. Change is a big thing with chickens. It stops their world from turning.

Adding new chickens to the flock soon after the pullets began to lay has altered the pecking order. All energy is now being focused on settling into that new order.

 

[rlmiddlebrooks]

So yesterday one of the girls that stopped laying started back up.
Coop is 10x12 run is 12x12. New pullets were added for one day but then separated into another run/coop. Coop on that is 4x8 and run is 5x10. I did change the feeder type because they were wasting so much food. That didn't seem to bother them much. I did a lot of work on the new run/coop right next to existing coop for the new additions.

I guess the construction could have caused some stress. All seems to be working its way out right now. I expected the EE to not lay for a month or so I guess it stressed the original girls as well. Thanks for the help

 

[trixiekj]

I have a production red hen I got from a lady last February. She has had issues laying soft shelled or shelless eggs on a regular basis. I've had her checked by a vet last March and she was wormed then. Her eggs improved though the shells were thin. She started doing it again in August and this time she laid a small lash egg. I took her back to the vet and they gave me worm medicine and antibodics for the infection. She improved again with thin shells, but now she laying soft shelled eggs again. Any idea what's going on? I'm not sure of her age so I don't know if that could be a factor. All the other hens are laying great eggs with hard shells. I'd appreciate any feedback I could get.

 

[bigt447]

You may be fighting against nature...she may be old and worn out. May try extra calcium provided by crushed oyster shells mixed in with oatmeal & milk.

 

[trixiekj]

I've never heard of that but sound worth trying. Do I just crushe the shells finer and stir in cooked or raw oatmeal with milk?

 

[donrae]

I have a production red hen I got from a lady last February. She has had issues laying soft shelled or shelless eggs on a regular basis. I've had her checked by a vet last March and she was wormed then. Her eggs improved though the shells were thin. She started doing it again in August and this time she laid a small lash egg. I took her back to the vet and they gave me worm medicine and antibodics for the infection. She improved again with thin shells, but now she laying soft shelled eggs again. Any idea what's going on? I'm not sure of her age so I don't know if that could be a factor. All the other hens are laying great eggs with hard shells. I'd appreciate any feedback I could get.

What are you feeding her?

My red sex links all eventually laid very thin shelled eggs, no matter what I did. I believe it was due to the nature of a high production breed.

 

[bigt447]

That's what to do...my ladies love this treat and I have very strong shells.