What am I doing wrong?

[ace6175]

I never heard that apples can interfere with laying! My chickens roam the apple orchard, consuming as much as they want, and at least 4 of the nine are laying now, at 20 weeks.
Do I need to pick up all the apples that have fallen?

 

[PortageGirl]

Quote:
If they're laying alright, then I'd say don't worry about it. Mine don't care much for apples even if I mix em in with the treats... but I keep it to a minimum just in case.

 

[FrustratedChickenmomma]

Mine unfortunatly are not able to be free ranged. We had to fully enclose a large portion of our yard for them because of the dogs. Not sure on the snakes part. I have only seen 2 snakes in our yard in the last 10 years. One my husband killed and the other the dogs did. Any other animal that might enter the yard has to deal with the dogs too. Its not pretty. I'll try the setting eggs out there and see what happens. I actually sifted through litter and straw today looking for any hint of egg shells I might have missed.

How would I up the protein? I can put restrict all the extras and give them more layer. Is there anything extra they can have that might help?

We are doing a bit of work on the coop right now anyway so having my husband block a couple boxes would be no biggie.

I even tried have a coaching session with them today but all I got was pecked toes.

 

[randomchick]

My first thought is that they are eating the eggs. My second thought is that an animal is eating the eggs.

 

[FrustratedChickenmomma]

Didn't think about this when i was posting but I also have a rooster in with my hens. Can this be causing an issue. He leaves them alone completely really. He fusses at the dogs but has shown no interest in my girlies. NONE I was worried about gender but from pics posted and just looking at pics of similar breeds they look like hens.

 

[fordmommy]

Well-at least we know that they aren't just hiding them from you. You can up the protein by feeding things like meat. I use fishing worms myself. I know some people worry that chickens will get worms from them, but I don't worry. They find them in the ground anyway. I am always watching for signs of them. You could use chicken, or pork or eggs themselves or whatever. Anything high in protein. And yogart for calcium. They need those two main things to produce eggs.

Do this for a week or so and let us know how things are going. We will all try to help as best we can.

Watch for the squatting and egg song too. I noticed mostly when my girls seem to have high anxiety. In and out of the coop. Back and forth at the fence. They just seem wild before they finally lay.

Good luck.

 

[CrazyFowlFreak]

Maybe they're all boys?















KIDDING!!

 

[cwhit590]

Quote:
Wow! That is a long time to wait for eggs!!!

To me it sounds like a problem with their diet...or possibly egg-eating? Hot temps can be stressful too...hmm...and it sounds like you have a large run so they could be hiding them somewhere.

What is your feeding setup or schedule? Are you letting them have access to scratch feed and veggies/fruits all the time? It sounds like they are getting spoiled w/ too many treats!

Like others have mentioned, I've also heard that too much fruit can stop egg-laying.
I would try feeding them ONLY layer feed for awhile....and just offer a few treats a day (ex, a couple handfuls of leafy greens, no fruit). If they start laying then, you can gradually give them more treats...just don't go overboard! It may be hard, and they will probably complain...but be strong! lol...

Hope that helps...let us know how things go.

 

[pebblessix]

If feed is an issue...my hens are great layers. I have more eggs than I know what to do with and give them away! The girls are fed layer pellets and meow mix catfood. Catfood is very high in protien and they LOVE it. Some folks say don't feed catfood but my birds have been eating it for over 5 years and I have never had any problems.

I also think it is most likely they are eating the eggs. The rooster should not affect their laying.

 

[kathyinmo]

We are doing a bit of work on the coop right now

Changing the environment will often cause them to stop laying. They do not like change. But, of course, if they haven't started, then they can't stop! I'm just sayin' ....

When I got 3 new adult birds, they layed an egg on day one. Then, they waited 5 weeks before they layed again. Now, they lay an egg every day, rarely missing. I believe it was the stress of the move and change of environment. They are easily stressed.

To add additional protein, boil some eggs and feed them mashed up to them. They will love it. Add in some (plain unflavored) yogurt. Of course you can mix in some of their feed too, and make it like a mash. I stay away from the cat food myself. I agree with DDawn and cwhit, be sure their layer feed is 90% of the diet. Be sure to have their food, granite grit, and oyster shells available at all times.

Good luck.