Severe reduction in egg count - what diseases should I be looking for

[BlueMoon]

I have probably 100 hens, lots of food and water, about 8 roosters, about 45 nesting boxes and yes, some chickens are moulting, some are two or three years old BUT we've been getting about 20 eggs a day when it was hot. And NOW the average is about 12.

I can't afford to have this many hens not laying. A few weeks off (aka summer vacation) was fine, but this has gone on too long.

No, I haven't wormed them recently (because we eat the eggs). Any thoughts about why they are simply not laying?

 

[Chickie'sMoma]

i have read that heat stroke can affect the egg production for a couple of months after it affects them.

are your birds the type that are fat or thin breeds? thin breeds seem to fair better in the heat than the fatter breeds.

i had heat stroke hit a couple of my young pullets this summer and i have to wonder if this might affect them when they start to lay. i'm still waiting for them to do that.

 

[chickenannie]

Look in every nook and cranny and dark, hidden spot even BEHIND the nestboxes or out under a wagon or board somewhere -- my guess is they found a secret place to lay that you don't know about and there is a PILE of eggs hiding somewhere...!

 

[TXmom]

My egg production is waaaay down also, and there have been several threads about this in the last week or two. I'm only getting 1 or 2 eggs per day and I was getting 6-8 before. It was a very hot and dry summer here, and now the temps are *only* in the 90's...instead of 100's...and we've had some rain. So maybe our slight weather change is the reason for our slow down. Or maybe it's because the daylight hours are decreasing. I sure hope it picks up again real soon. I got new chicks (3 wks old now) to help with egg production, but we'll be waiting a while for thier eggs.

 

[BlueMoon]

Thanks for the thoughts - certainly possible a few are laying elsewhere. I don't think heat stroke was a problem this summer - waterers are always full, plenty of shade, never went about low 90's.

I'm more concerned about one of the many infectious diseases. ANy thoughts?

 

[jsetmayer]

i am in the florida keys and my cochin/easter egger has that fluffy down and she pants at 83 degrees and my new wyandotte comes from up north florida and she is not used to the heat either and was also panting they do not free range but have a nice pen. i keep 2 fans on them during the day and i keep one on low(box fan) at night unless it rains, it really does help them alot. they have dropped some weight i guess because of the heat and i just got 2 new birds and i guess that combined stressed them some and would cause them to drop some weight, anyway the fans work. jacque

 

[BlueMoon]

Great Jacque - we run a fan most of the year and are in upstate NY, where it is invariably cooler than florida.

There are many reasons chickens reduce laying other production other than heat, moulting, stress, aging, light changes - I am trying to figure out which disease symptoms I should be looking for in my flock.

 

[BlueEngineFarm]

Mine dropped also. I have noticed that my morning has been starting later for the dark is still hanging and its getting dark earlier at night also. We don't use artificial light but it's probably time for that.
Lynne

 

[hinkjc]

This is the time of year when egg laying starts to decline. Is there some reason you suspect disease? All sound normal to me..aging hens, moult season and declining daylight hours.

 

[chicks4kids]

I have also had a decrease in production. Getting only 1-2 daily when I used to get 5-6 out of my 6 hens.

I'm also tapping my fingertips raw waiting for my 22.5 week old BR's to start laying.

So I also agree that it is the time of the year for the drop-off. However, I think 20 eggs a day out of 100 hens seems low...(sorry) Not to mention dropping down to 12??

Are there any symptoms your hens are having that makes you suspect a possible disease? Or are you just wondering if there is a specific disease that causes a decrease in egg production ?