No eggs NEED ADVICE

[CelestialChicks]

Hi!

I have a flock of 5 chickens. I bought all of them on a market, from different owners. One of them, a blue andalusian is supposed to be 1 year old and after we had bought her she gave us eggs almost everyday but after 1,5 weeks she stopped completely. We thought it was due to stress because she had just gotten a new home but 2 months has passed now and still no eggs!! The other 4 chickens are still too young to lay. I've also noticed that her comb has paled from blood red to this dull pinkish looking color. Also, she is the flock leader so the flock is following her all the time and whenever she finds food she always makes this weird sound and gives the food away like a rooster would do. It may sound like a silly comment, but can that have affected her egg laying?

I've also noticed that they have been in the nesting boxes (all the feathers). Should I close them now when no one is laying?

Would really appreciate your expertise!
Thanks!

 

[ChickenCanoe]

She's probably starting to molt.

 

[DaveOmak]

Her diet is lacking in nutrients... We add extra roasted egg shells, oyster shells, feed raw liver.... feed a quality feed that lists the ingredients recommended and supplement with extras....
use this search engine for finding what foods have what ingredients....
http://nutritiondata.self.com/facts/beef-products/3468/2
http://nutritiondata.self.com/foods-000103000000000000000-w.html?categories=3,10,11,14,0,19,22,15

I'm almost positive, some of there are MINIMUMS....
Table 2. Nutrient requirements of leghorn-type chickens as percentages or as milligrams or units per kilogram of diet. (Continued.)

Laying, daily
intake per
Energy base Laying hen (mg) ** Breeding

kcal ME/kg diet * 2,900 2,900

Protein (%) 14.5 16,000 14.5
Arginine (%) 0.68 750 0.68
Glycine and serine (%) 0.50 550 0.50
Histidine (%) 0.16 180 0.16
Isoleucine (%) 0.50 550 0.50

Leucine (%) 0.73 800 0.73
Lysine (%) 0.64 700 0.64
Methionine + cystine (%) 0.55 600 0.55
Methionine (%) 0.32 350 0.32
Phenylalanine + tyrosine (%) 0.80 880 0.80

Phenylalanine (%) 0.40 440 0.40
Threonine (%) 0.45 500 0.45
Tryptophan (%) 0.14 150 0.14
Valine (%) 0.55 600 0.55
Linoleic acid (%) 1.00 1,100 1.00

Calcium (%) 3.40 3,750 3.40
Phosphorus, available (%) 0.32 350 0.32
Potassium (%) 0.15 165 0.15
Sodium (%) 0.15 165 0.15
Chlorine (%) 0.15 165 0.15

Magnesium (mg) 500 55 500
Manganese (mg) 30 3.30 60
Zinc (mg) 50 5.50 65
Iron (mg) 50 5.50 60
Copper (mg) 6 0.88 8

Iodine (mg) 0.30 0.03 0.30
Selenium (mg) 0.10 0.01 0.10
Vitamin A (IU) 4,000 440 4,000
Vitamin D (ICU) 500 55 500
Vitamin E (IU) 5 0.55 10

Vitamin K (mg) 0.50 0.055 0.50
Riboflavin (mg) 2.20 0.242 3.80
Pantothenic acid (mg) 2.20 0.242 10.0
Niacin (mg) 10.0 1.10 10.0
Vitamin B12 (mg) 0.004 0.00044 0.004

Choline (mg) ? ? ?
Biotin (mg) 0.10 0.011 0.15
Folacin (mg) 0.25 0.0275 0.35
Thiamin (mg) 0.80 0.088 0.80
Pyridoxine (mg) 3.0 0.33 4.50

* These are typical dietary energy concentrations.
** Assumes an average daily intake of 110 g of feed/hen daily.

 

[DaveOmak]

Why all the nutrients are important....... taken from SallySunshine's threads...


TABLE 7-2 Signs of Deficiency in the Embryo

Nutrients

Deficiency Signs

References
Vitamin A

Death at about 48 hours of incubation from failure to develop the circulatory system; abnormalities of kidneys, eyes, and skeleton.

Asmundson and Kratzer, 1952; Thompson et al., 1965; Heine et al., 1985
Vitamin D

Death at about 18 or 19 days of incubation, with malpositions, soft bones, and with a defective upper mandible prominent.

Sunde et al., 1978; Narbaitz and Tsang, 1989
Vitamin E

Early death at about 84 to 96 hours of incubation, with hemorrhaging and circulatory failure (implicated with selenium).

Card et al., 1930; Latshaw and Osman, 1974
Vitamin K

No physical deformities from a simple deficiency, nor can they be provoked by antivitamins, but mortality occurs between 18 days and hatching, with variable hemorrhaging.

Griminger, 1964; Hauschka and Reid, 1978a
Thiamin

High embryonic mortality during emergence but no obvious symptoms other than polyneuritis in those that survive.

Polin et al., 1962; Charles et al., 1972
Riboflavin

Mortality peaks at 60 hours, 14 days, and 20 days of incubation, with peaks prominent early as deficiency becomes severe. Altered limb and mandible development, dwarfism, and clubbing of down are defects expressed by embryo.

Romanoff and Bauernfeind, 1942; Landauer, 1967
Niacin

Embryo readily synthesizes sufficient niacin from tryptophan. Various bone and beak malformations occur when certain antagonists are administered during incubation.

Snell and Quarles, 1941; Landauer, 1956; Caplan, 1972
Biotin

High death rate at 19 to 21 days of incubation, and embryos have parrot beak, chondrodystrophy, several skeletal deformities, and webbing between the toes.

Cravens et al., 1994; Couch et al., 1947
Pantothenic acid

Deaths appear around 14 days of incubation, although marginal levels may delay problems until emergence. Variable subcutaneous hemorrhaging and edema; wirey down in poults.

Kratzer et al., 1955; Beer et al., 1963
Pyridoxine

Early embryonic mortality based on antivitamin use.

Landauer, 1967
Folic acid

Mortality at about 20 days of incubation. The dead generally appear normal, but many have bent tibiotarsus, syndactyly, and mandible malformations. In poults, mortality at 26 to 28 days of incubation with abnormalities of extremities and circulatory system.

Sunde et al., 1950a; Kratzer et al., 1956a
Vitamin B12

Mortality at about 20 days of incubation, with atrophy of legs, edema, hemorrhaging, fatty organs, and head between thighs malposition.

Olcese et al., 1950; Ferguson et al., 1955
Manganese

Peak deaths prior to emergence. Chondrodystrophy, dwarfism, long bone shortening, head malformations, edema, and abnormal feathering are prominent.

Lyons and Insko, 1937
Zinc

Deaths prior to emergence, and the appearance of rumplessness, depletion of vertebral column, eyes underdeveloped, and missing limbs.

Kienholz et al., 1961; Turk, 1965
Copper

Deaths at early blood stage with no malformations.

Bird et al., 1963
Iodine

Prolongation of hatching time, reduced thyroid size, and incomplete abdominal closure.

Rogler et al., 1959a, b
Iron

Low hematocrit; low blood hemoglobin; poor extra-embryonic circulation in candled eggs.

Dewar et al., 1974; Morck and Austic, 1981
Selenium

High incidence of dead embryos early in incubation.

Latshaw et al., 1977​