too much free range?

[Cebarmlds]

My 2 yr olds haven't laid an egg for a week now, I had some time off work and was home so let them free range all day everyday for about 10 days, but put inside for the night. I found a soft shell egg and now no eggs at all. So now they have been on lock down 4 days so they will eat their layer pellets and oyster shell. I'm also giving them ground egg shells now. How long will it take for them to start laying again?

 

[cochicks]

Did you check around your yard for a hidden nest? They may have laid they're eggs someplace else rather than hiking back to the coop to do it.

 

[Kansaseq]

Mine are going through a soft molt right now, with a decrease in egg production. I don't think free ranging has any bearing on your birds decrease in eggs; most likely it's just coincidental.

 

[gritsar]

All of my chickens free range every single day. Never had a problem with egg production. The girls know where their nestboxes are and will come running from across a field to make it to one in time.

Is it time for your girls to molt?

 

[Cebarmlds]

But why the soft shells and then quit? seems like a calcium problem. Now they are not even touching the oyster shells!
Mine also come from where ever they are to a nestbox when they need to lay.

 

[Cebarmlds]

I don't know if it's time to molt, one did last fall and the other two during the winter. Will they keep that schedule or do they molt just when ever? I haven't noticed and signs of molting recently.

 

[mdbokc]

They molt whenever they do. I have a 2 yo RIR who just suddenly (literally overnight) went into a very heavy molt. The first time for her. We can tell it is very hard on her...she is miserable. And others will brutally pick on her now so we have to keep an eye on things. But she quit laying about a week ago or so too...before the molt hit her.