Super Low Egg Production - What’s Wrong??

[Justso]

I am also experiencing a down production in my small flock. I wonder, could it be that the wind is blowing from the Northwest instead of the West? Could it be that fox that passed through the yard last month and they're still dreaming of the trauma now? could it be those youngsters that I got this year who are now maturing, four of which are cockerels and throwing everybody into a hormonal tizzy?
I hope someone here will finally figure out in the mind of a chicken what is going on when we so desperately wait for the reward of all our tender care and feeding.

 

[Folly's place]

They do what they're gonna do, and that's just the way it is...
Maybe it's the moon in conjunction with Mars? Venus? Little green men?
Mary

 

[21hens-incharge]

They do what they're gonna do, and that's just the way it is...
Maybe it's the moon in conjunction with Mars? Venus? Little green men?
Mary

Or they didn't like the shirt you wore a week ago.

30 birds, 16 of laying age and not broody. I feel pretty darn blessed that I am getting a dozen a day.

 

[BecKub]

Coop space?

How many birds in what square footage?

Run space?

Coop is 96 square feet with a 192 square foot run. However, they’re let out during the day to a much larger fenced in area, so they’re not confined to the run for long at all. It’s circular in shape so hard to tell how big it is but I’ll attach a picture that shows most of it. If I had to guess I’d say 25x40 yards

 

[slordaz]

So we’ve increased our flock a few times over the last 3 months. Our original numbers from the spring were 9, but one has since died and there’s another that’s not laying so we’ll say 6 that should be laying. We now have 36 which we got in smaller chunks over the course of several weeks. A large number of those are very young (picked up at less than 20 weeks old). We’ve gotten a lot of smaller eggs lately so I’m fairly certain the younger ones, or most of them, have started laying. So overall, we should have at LEAST 25 birds that are laying.

However... we’re only getting at MOST 10 eggs a day. It’s usually around 8 or 9. We had a flock of 20 a few years ago and we were getting 14 eggs a day at LEAST. The weather has been hot and I know that contributes, but I don’t know what else it could be. They’re spoiled and their nutrition is excellent. Extra vitamins, protein, calcium and a very large area to free range during the day.

I’ve checked outside for clutches of eggs and haven’t found any. We did have one that was eating eggs but I put ceramic eggs in the nesting boxes and that seemed to help. I even put nesting boxes outside just in case although they haven’t used them.

Is this normal? We have great laying breeds, all of which produce over 260 eggs/year. I’m just worried I’m missing something here and I feel like we should be getting way more eggs. Any thoughts are greatly appreciated!

Most flocks are getting ready or are molting and egg production is down during this time, if your flock is molting you can increase protein during this time to get it through them faster, if they are on laying feed. I have mine on flock raiser or all flock works too, there could be a nutritional factor in there too, @eggsessive is better at dosages , think someone changed formulation cause my flock hasn't needed vitamins added before and nnow all of a sudden that is what is helping them the most at 2.5 yrs old

 

[BecKub]

I am also experiencing a down production in my small flock. I wonder, could it be that the wind is blowing from the Northwest instead of the West? Could it be that fox that passed through the yard last month and they're still dreaming of the trauma now? could it be those youngsters that I got this year who are now maturing, four of which are cockerels and throwing everybody into a hormonal tizzy?
I hope someone here will finally figure out in the mind of a chicken what is going on when we so desperately wait for the reward of all our tender care and feeding.

I’m probably just impatient. I figured after this long things should be normal but who knows. Lots of things seem to effect them.

 

[BecKub]

Their enclosed area

 

[slordaz]

I’m probably just impatient. I figured after this long things should be normal but who knows. Lots of things seem to effect them.

Just remember Chickens have a mind of their own and sometimes get their comic relief from us expecting things we were told or read in the book, and decide to do just the opposite and sit there laughing at us as we scratch our heads, Chickens don't read so haven't read the hand books lol

 

[BecKub]

Most flocks are getting ready or are molting and egg production is down during this time, if your flock is molting you can increase protein during this time to get it through them faster, if they are on laying feed. I have mine on flock raiser or all flock works too, there could be a nutritional factor in there too, @eggsessive is better at dosages , think someone changed formulation cause my flock hasn't needed vitamins added before and nnow all of a sudden that is what is helping them the most at 2.5 yrs old

Thank you! Is there such a thing as feeding TOO many vitamins? I put vitamins in their water and their feed also.

 

[BecKub]

Just remember Chickens have a mind of their own and sometimes get their comic relief from us expecting things we were told or read in the book, and decide to do just the opposite and sit there laughing at us as we scratch our heads, Chickens don't read so haven't read the hand books lol

Hahaha! Jerks! All of them!