What could cause this? Thoughts? Help on Correcting?

[aart]

When we started the new bag of Dumor layer feed (16%) is when I started noticing major issues

How long ago?
All other birds affected too?
Did you check the mill date, or buy some new feed where you checked the mill date?

 

[Beard4]

How long ago?
All other birds affected too?
Did you check the mill date, or buy some new feed where you checked the mill date?

Mid November, I guess, was about when I started the new bag (sorry not absolute new bag the one that I am not sure the mill date on).. I did not know about mill dates then, emptied the bag into the pet feed container and threw it away.


Then it went a week or so before my first issue then another couple of weeks this 2nd hen started having issues.. no other chicken is having issues except they have slacked off laying which I expected in the winter..

so I didn’t check the mill date on the first bag but I went out and bought a new brand/bag a couple days ago.. in case the first bag didn’t have enough nutrients .. the new bag was nov 30th 2021

 

[aart]

in case the first bag didn’t have enough nutrients .. the new bag was nov 30th 2021

That's the mill date?
Or did you mean Nov 30 2020?
Got a pic?

 

[Beard4]

That's the mill date?
Or did you mean Nov 30 2020?
Got a pic?

Sorry the new bag - 2020 -just started it at the beginning of the week

the old bag (which I started the first of November) I did not get a picture of

Attachments

• 

 

[Folly's place]

I learned about watching mill dates years ago, after having an issue with a chick with a fatal vitamin deficiency. Since then, all feed bags are checked before purchase, and used within two months of milling, and stored in their original bags in metal garbage cans.
Here we have old, young, males, and females, and feed a 20% protein all flock feed to everyone all year, with separate oyster shell. It works very well for us, and suits all the birds, whether they can free range, or just look at the snow, and then a small amount of extra goodies are also fine.
I hope your birds do better! Reproductive issues are sadly common in laying hens and sometimes pullets. Recently I lost an April pullet to this, seen by necropsy.
Multiple sick birds might be bad luck all at once, or something else. Consider having a necropsy done at your state vet lab if things are piling up at your coop. The body needs to be chilled, wrapped in plastic, and refrigerated, not frozen. Call for advice to the lab ahead of time.
So sorry,
Mary

 

[Beard4]

That's the mill date?
Or did you mean Nov 30 2020?
Got a pic?

Just wanted to give this post an update:

Since changing feed last week, we have had no more soft shells (eggless membranes), etc..
So I guess it was just a bad batch of feed or a fluke. But I am not chancing it, I am getting rid of what I think is the bad batch even though it was almost 3/4 of it left. Thanks for everyone's help and also for teaching me about mill dates!