No eggs in a week

[aart]

My birds are three and I'm feeding them layer feed and mix oyster shells in with it. They're not free range bids. I have a coop and let them out in the mornings into a large fenced in walking area we have made for them. There hasn't been any predator attacks. I live in the country and the south at that and the weather has been pretty warm and humid with the rain we've had here recently.

Could be the heat and/or impending molt and/or increasing age(if production breed).

FYI not good to mix oyster shell in with feed, keep it in a separate container to use as they feel the need.

 

[tabithafisher]

Thanks, I wasn't aware about keeping the oyster shells separate. I had always been told they could be mixed in. I will definently fix that problem pronto!!

 

[Bryant Redhawk]

We free range our birds and the only food they get in the coop is treats except for the greens and kitchen/garden scraps we put into the covered work day run, (meal worms bring them home) we have free choice oyster shell and minerals always available in the coop/run along with water. Since we have an abundance of grasshoppers and other insects they love to eat along with worms and so on, we really haven't found a need to give them an abundance of store bought feed. The minerals we offer are in the sea-90, and we just let them choose when and if on that as well as the oyster shell.

 

[tabithafisher]

I would free range mine but my neighbor has a big pig that he just lets run around and more than not, he makes his way over to my yard. That pig has also tried to bust into where I keep my chickens! We don't live in close quarters, it's a good walk for that pig to get over to my place. So I'm worried that my chickens will, more so my rooster, will mess it up so to speak if I let them out. As far as the oyster shells I have now been told two things. Yesterday I was also told to just throw them on the ground every couple weeks, when I first got them I was told to mix them in with their food and now just to put them to the side in a dish. I'm confused, which is it?!

 

[TuckerinNC]

I have my oyster shell in a old rabbit feeder (I cut a piece of metal to go inside to make it have a solid bottom instead of a wire bottom) ... I have it hanging on the wire next to where I sit my waterer and I fill it when it gets empty .. that way all the chickens can find it easily and they can eat it when they want some ... I'm seeing a lot of feathers in my henhouse / pen area so I think even my young birds are going thru a partial molt right now .... It is and has been hot and humid here in the south and lot of my chicken friends are complaining of reduced laying right now ..

 

[Bryant Redhawk]

I think I would have to have a discussion with the neighbor about the pig situation. In Texas they have that old saying "good fences make good neighbors". That may end up being the best solution to the wandering pig.

As far as the calcium supplement (oyster shell) the way you provide it to the chickens is more a matter of what works best for you.
The logic is; chickens know when they need extra calcium and will eat it when they need it. That is the premise behind the free choice method. In a commercial setting having it mixed in with the layer feed works because those hens don't do much if any moving around, being in a cage that is just large enough for you to sit in one place isn't good animal husbandry but it works for egg production in the commercial setting. It is not healthy for the hens, it is also going to shorten their life span, cause health issues and on and on, I do not approve of that methodology and think it barbaric.

In the end it is up to each individual to find a method of raising their chickens that meets with the needs, desires and health of the animals in the care of that individual. What works for some may be found to not be the best method for you. Yes you will get conflicting ideas of what method is best, that is one of the reasons there are so many methods out there.

On Buzzard's Roost, we practice natural husbandry of all our animals, it is our belief that mother nature gives each animal the knowledge of what they need and they (the animals) will eat what their bodies tell them they need, when they need it. Therefore, we don't mix an "all in one" food such as the commercial people do. We provide any supplement in a separate container, the chooks, take in what they desire and if they don't feel they need it, they don't have to eat it. We have fresh water, at all times (both water nipples and regular water supplies) available for them, natural foraging is their main food supply with enticement treats provided as needed or per our bedding down for the night regimen.

Confusion is easy to arrive at, There are many "experts" each with a different best method, the way to end the confusion is to make a choice and trial that choice to see if it is a best fit for you and your flock, herd, gaggle etc. If you are observant of your animals behavior, you can end up with a method of husbandry that makes you happy, your animals happy and healthy and in the end, you will be a good steward of both your land and your animals.