Reduction in egg laying and soft shells

[richardeblack]

Hello All
I am currently down to one egg a day from my three young hens and am getting soft shell eggs as well. I have a fourth, Holly, who is fairly old and I don't think she is laying at all now.
I have had two of them losing feathers and found an infestation of red mites which I am just about on top of after 2 thorough cleanouts of their coop and dusting them with diatomaceous powder a couple of times. I put fresh double sided tape on the ends of their perches and now only a few are such to it in the morning. I don't seem able to eradicate them completely.
I have also been treating two of them for scaly leg mite.
They are free range at the moment until restrictions come in soon (UK bird flu restrictions) so I don't know exactly what they eat when out. I usually let them out of their run fairly late to ensure they eat layer pellets and also have access to a bowl of soluble grit and eggshells as well as their water having tonic and vinegar in it.
I do give them commercial chicken treats (various seeds and other stuff they seem to love in it) and perhaps give too much of that but haven't had any issues over the summer.
They all seem very happy and healthy (apart from feather loss which may be moulting) and I don't know who is laying which eggs. It may even be one or more is laying somewhere else.
Sorry for such a rambling message but not sure how to deal with this at the moment.
I haven't ever wormed them so perhaps that is necessary.
Thank you for fighting your way through this message and will be very grateful for any suggestions.
Richard.

 

[DLA]

With stresses of possible molting plus mite or lice issues could be causing the problem. Lack of enough calcium is the most common cause of soft shell eggs so if they seem otherwise healthy and aren't exhibiting any respiratory problems then you might want to cut back on the treats a little and ensure they are getting a good layer feed with extra calcium on the side. ACV is ok but you should give them access to fresh water without that too and be careful not to use to much ACV.
https://www.backyardchickens.com/ar...s.77389/#Risks of Using Apple Cider Vinegar:​

 

[Eggcessive]

You should take care of the mite infestation by treating the birds and then the coop, after emptying your bedding. Can you check with a vet about a treatment? Since permethrin is not available, you could check into sulfur powder. Mites hatch every 5-7 days and reproduce, so you will need to stay on that. Ivermectin might be used if it helps. Mites cause anemia and can lead to death. Try some human calcium tablets with d3 for a few days to see if it helps the shells harden. Reproductive problems such as salpingitis, shell gland problems, stress and other things can cause the soft shells. If they are older, they may not lay as often, or stop.