Ok I'll weigh in.
1. Free ranging with out food, they will not get enough of anything to help them lay very well. They need more than protein just like you and I do. They need a balanced diet which my guess is they are not getting.
2. Birds grow feathers at the expense of egg production. This is where the protein comes in. Increase the protein and that may help, as they need the protein for feather and egg production.
3. Put them on a diet of layer feed. Pellets, crumbles or mash. Domesticated chickens need this. The basic feed will have everything they need nutritionally for egg production.
4. There are two types of "grit" soluble and insoluble. Chickens specifically hens need both. One "oystershell" for added calcium and two "granite" insoluble for grinding up grains and grasses in the gizzard.
5. Some domesticated breeds are not all that good at "ranging". Certain breeds are more adept at finding food. I'm not so sure Rhodies are such a breed. Certainly not the "production" type sold by hatcheries.
6. Perhaps a trip to the local public library is in order. There should be some good books on breeds and what to expect. I did this in the beginning and that's how I decided which breeds would work for my location and the amount of energy I wanted to put into chicken keeping. Some breeds require more care than I have time to give them. I don't keep production birds because quite frankly they would produce to many eggs for the house. As it is I still have to many but not so many I can't sell them all. I have a friend who had to sell 30 Golden Comets because they put out more eggs than he could sell.
7. Also never underestimate the need for water. Fresh , clean water on demand 24/7.
8. Don't expect additives like vitamins and all that, to make up for a poor diet. Chickens can do fine with the basic layer and fresh water.
I like an assortment of breeds in the flock for aesthetics and that's another reason to research the different breeds.
Hope things improve for you
Rancher
