No eggs what am I doing wrong?

[pinkwindsong]

Ok Ya'll what am I doing wrong..

this is what I feed.. fresh daily. (if its old I throw it out to the songbirds.)

dumore layer crumbles 2 scoops ( they waste the pellets) laying mash 2 scoops, 1 scoop black oil sunflower seeds ( BB's dont like them at all) and 1 - 1/2 scoops of mixed scratch grains. they have grit and oyster shells available at will, fresh water at will, indoor outdoor coop/ hen yard. ( they get to free range when Im there all day or if they've laid eggs.) they get some kind of goodie everyday ( different everyday) might be yogurt, scrambled eggs, cottage cheese , watermelon or another fruit, vegetables ( not peas) squash with seeds., bread cherrios, check cereal , rice or noodles even bugs or toads. < my son like to give them the toads/frogs from the pond.. >or the like..

WHY DON'T i HAVE ANY EGGS.... well that's an exaggeration.. Twin my leghorn lays everyday, Jett my barred Holland lays everyday, and now even my bard rocks who were laying have stopped.. my girls from Susanne have stopped. ( i might get one egg a day from one of the six of them, never the same egg color so figure not the same girl) what am I doing wrong??

Everyone seams happy and they are always very active and responsive to their names, individually or as a flock. ( its so cute that they all know their own names.. who knew chickens were so smart? ) they are free to go in and out of the coop to the hen yard when they want to.

I have 18 girls over the age of 24 weeks. they are all spread out and safe from harming one another, not all in the coop/and hen yard, so Im not overcrowded. I have 2 nest boxes set up the new girls from Susanne were using the new box but now everyone has decided to use the one old box. then the seperated breeds the polish and bb bantams, EEs have their own boxes in their coop/pen. un-used


can they be overstimulated? I go out and hang with them several times a day as well as feed and water in the am and then again at night.

I did have the new broiler chicks in there too and they did have a light on at night but they are 4 weeks old today so I put them out in a grow up pen.. so lights off at night now.. ( I did bring the 3 smallest broilers back in to the coop so i could watch their growth ( still in their own cage) but I am keeping the light off at night now.

i thought i would cross post this just to get an array of possibilities and things to try or not do anymore..

thanks )O(
Pink

 

[nuttyredhead]

Could they be hiding a nest somewhere?

 

[mommissan]

Days are getting shorter. Do you have artificial light? Mine get 14 hrs a day.

 

[pinkwindsong]

Quote:
well ya know i thought of that but they had light on and that didn't make a difference I even wondered if that is what maybe made them stop. that maybe it was messing up their sleep cycle or something. I've not noticed a'lot of feathers everywhere like a molt. but maybe the beginning of a molt?? are birds like women and will they end up cycling together?

I was also thinking that maybe a hidden nest out in the yard but I've had them locked up in the hen yard so that they would have to use the box for the last 2 days? can they hold an egg in??? I figure Ill leave them up for at least the rest of the week. or should I leave them up longer and only let them out if I know they've laid ( like twin and Jett my only white egg layers so I know when they have laid)

Oh I also leave the eggs in the box until bedtime. then I take them out ..hoping to give the girls some ideas.. should I be taking them out as they lay?

its curious-er and curious-er

Pink

 

[welasharon]

I was thinking it was probably because they were moulting. It looks like a feather fight in mine. Some of mine are starting laying occasionally but some still are not.
sharon

 

[pinkwindsong]

Quote:
do they all molt? and how much of their feathers do they loose? I have only had chickens since early march?

 

[Cindy in PA]

If your chickens are only 24 weeks, it is doubtful that they are molting. I would guess it's not enough protein, because you are adding so much grain to their layer feed.

 

[Two Creeks Farm]

Get away from that Dumor, just my opinion of course, but it sure seems to be lacking. I was on the road, they bought the wrong product(Dunor) and the eggs all but stopped. Back on Flockraiser now and back to full production......

 

[Fred's Hens]

The DuMor is OK, although not my favorite layer formula. It is jus a generic Purina. It isn't likely the culprit here.

What seems rather high is the scratch mixed in, along with all the treats. This is forcing the protein level of the DuMor layer feed down to a pretty low percentage.
DuMor Layer is 16%. When you average in the 8% scratch, the percentage goes down big time. The BOSS isn't likely being eaten by everyone, so while it does have protein, it's not factoring into most of the birds equation, it would appear.

The lack of light, as we've passed the equinox is also factoring into this, for sure. If you want eggs, you might be forced to provide some artificial lighting in the early am, which would extend their "day".

Part of flock management is adjusting. Alter what isn't working. Try something different. What do you have to lose? Best regards for you and your flock.

 

[Animalian]

you could have gotten a bunch pullets that just take ages to mature.

I find a few strips of beef each gets my girls going again if they get slack