Wait a second... Why aren't my hens laying????

[IvyHybrid]

Right, now I am stuck on this one, my hens have stopped laying, I was only getting one egg a day and now I'm getting none. I have four hens, almost two years old, but why have they stopped laying? My parents are getting iffy about keeping them because they "aren't earning their keep". They have been wormed recently and have water, pellets, corn, grass, a good supply of bugs. They have never moulted in the time I have had them and are looking scruffy and sun-bleached.They are otherwise happy and healthy. I just have no idea. They are getting ACV in their water. I have heard of some hens that have stopped laying after a few years but, I just don't know... Help please

Love Chooky, Nugget, Pumpkin (Digger), Daisy and Jen

 

[BlazeJester]

Do you have a picture? "Scruffy" may be describing a molt, which you may not recognize if you haven't seen one before. Hens do not lay while in molt. Give them extra protein - canned fish, scrambled eggs, or canned cat food - to help grow the feathers back quickly and they should be on their feet and filling the nest box5 in no time.

Also make sure not to be feeding them more than 10% of their diet in corn. Most of what they eat should be layer pellets. Corn has next to no nutritional value and does not provide any essential nutrients for egg laying. I'd recommend taking away everything except their layer feed if you have been giving treats or a lot of scratch grains.

 

[IvyHybrid]

The eggs we have been iffy for about 4-5 weeks, when I say iffy I mean the whites are watery and there is often bits of blood in the eggs. Now I ain't sayin specks, they have been more like clots about 5-10mm in length. The yolks are fine except for a small stringy white bit coming from the yolk. when you are frying the eggs the whites are huge and the yolk is forced to the edge. The eggs are a lot bigger aswell

 

[IvyHybrid]

Thanks. They do have layers pellets available to them at all times, I will try throwing the pellets as scratch feed. Another thing I have done in the past is make a porridge out of pellets water and a wee bit of corn. Thanks for the tip on the protein though, I will try that

Cheers