No eggs in 6 months.

Hi, I am in the same boat as as Marc Doyle. We have 11 layers. 5 Isa Browns, 4 Barred Rocks, and 2 Leghorns. The leghorns are a year and they are laying. The Barred rocks are 3 and Isa's are 2, We are only getting 3 eggs a day out of 11 chickens. We have checked for rodents and critters no signs of any. They have layer food available all day, as well as free range. No eggs found in yard checked daily , all through out the day. We are getting ready to isolate 1 by one to see who is laying and not. We are stumped also. none are sick. Anything else I can try? They are not to old are they? What I have read they say they should still be laying. I will also try the oyster shells. It has been 3 weeks that they have quit laying. Please help!!
 
Calcium is probably not the issue so much as other nutrients found in a good balanced chicken ration. You can provide plenty of calcium, but if they don't have the vitamins/mineral/amino acids to assimilate/absorb and use that calcium, the amount of calcium is moot.

Good nutrition is also first needed to even produce an egg....if they are nutritionally deficient their bodies won't even try to make one.
 
Clearly, they are missing something only eating the fodder and free ranging. I will put them back on the layer rations. If I wish to supplement with fodder, what would be the best crop?
 
Thanks for your input. Could you suggest what else I can do They are on 16% layer food . and that is available all day. Should I try a different brand of food?
 
This is what works for me, my birds are confined...I do some fodder and ferment and garden scraps/weeds but keep these to smaller amounts, often reducing the daily scratch grains depending on the 'treat' and it's volume.

My Feeding Notes: I like to feed a flock raiser/starter/grower/finisher type feed with 20% protein crumble full time to all ages and genders, as non-layers(chicks, males and molting birds) do not need the extra calcium that is in layer feed and chicks and molters can use the extra protein. Makes life much simpler to store and distribute one type of chow that everyone can eat. I do grind up the crumbles (in the blender) for the chicks for the first week or so.

The higher protein crumble also offsets the 8% protein scratch grains and other kitchen/garden scraps I like to offer. I adjust the amounts of other feeds to get the protein levels desired with varying situations.

Calcium should be available at all times for the layers, I use oyster shell mixed with rinsed, dried, crushed chicken egg shells in a separate container.

Animal protein (a freshly trapped mouse, mealworms, a little cheese - beware the salt content, meat scraps) is provided once in while and during molting and/or if I see any feather eating.
 
Thank you I will certainly try what you have suggested. Will post any new developments. Thanks again!!
 
aart Chicken Juggler. I want to thank you for your advice. I started chickens on a higher protein feed and it worked!! We are now getting at least 8 eggs from 11 chickens. Thank you so much!!
 
our egg count was way down and we figured the hens were getting too old. But I had a particularly rangy quarter of elk on the freezer.. Started cooking and feeding it to the flock and our egg count is back up.
Also we crush every egg shell and feed it back to the girls with their daily feed. Also, for yellowness of yolk and general health, I feed them dried kelp.Happy, healthy chickens!! Yay.
 

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