What happened to my egg production?

[nep big red]

I have 16 hens - no roosters. My 2 year old hens consist of 5 Rhode Islañd Reds and 3 Buff Orpington. Last year about this time, we added 8 Golden Comets. Needless to say, when the Comet baby chicks came home, they had some “growing up” to do before they were allowed to be in with my one year olds. Although we did have some posturing & a little bit of bullying going on when they first joined the rest of the group, aait doesn’t appear to be as frequent as it was.
All of a sudden, my egg production dropped dramatically from up to 14 a day to 9 a day. It’s been a month now where the egg count has been reduced. The Golden Comets started laying last August and I was getting an average of 12 a day prior to a month ago.
Their coop is quite ample space for 16 hens. They are let out into a fenced in area every morning. The area is VERY ample - to the point we can call them free range. They have layer crumbles & water available to them 24/7. Every evening they get a “treat” - mealworms, sunflower seeds & scratch - about 1/2 cup of each.
Any ideas?

 

[nep big red]

Update:
Last night I only had 7 eggs. Their treat was a cut up cucumber. Oh boy! Did they ever let ME know what they thought of that!!
Tonight? TEN EGGS! And I noticed they ate more of their feed today (despite one being in “chicken jail” for broody behavior). I’m thinking cutting back the amount of their evening treat may be the key. Tomorrow will tell, since they got the reduced amount of treat tonite. I also noticed, once the treat was gone, a couple of them went over to the feed.
I’ll update again tomorrow night.
Thanks for all your suggestions & encouragement!

 

[Ridgerunner]

I'm guessing you are in the northern hemisphere, probably the US, from hints in your post. That makes molting less likely. Still molting is the most common reason for a drop in egg production like this and it is possible some could be. Different things besides the days getting shorter can trigger a partial or even full molt. Are you seeing a lot of feathers floating around?

Do you know which ones are no longer laying? That might be a hint. Also, have you changed the lighting so that the length of day they perceive is different. Maybe due to daylight saving time?

Another real common reason for them to stop laying is that they are hiding a nest from you. That would go a long way of explaining why it is a consistent number.

Most critters, including the chickens, that might be eating eggs leave some signs. That can be egg shells or at least wet spots. It's possible your hens could clean up the egg shells after an egg eating predator but not especially likely. Another things against it being something eating the eggs is that the number is consistent. Usually if critters are involved the number is up and down.

The critters that leave no sign are typically snakes, canines, or humans. It is not a snake. A snake eats a few eggs, how many depends on its size, then goes away for a few days to digest them before it comes back for more. Most canines, fox or coyote if you are in the US, would probably be more interested in your chickens than the eggs. Dogs, on the other hand, may eat eggs and not bother the hens. Does a dog have access?

I'll leave it to you to decide if a human is responsible, sometimes as a practical joke.

Improper diet, which I don't think you are doing, would not cause a sudden change in production like this. That would be a lot more gradual.

So what can you do? You can inspect their vents, take them off the roost at night so they are easy to catch. If the vent is big, soft, and moist they are laying, at least occasionally. If the vent is dry and tight they are not.

If possible lock them in the coop only or the coop and a smaller run. If you start seeing eggs either they are hiding a nest or you locked something out that was getting the eggs.

Mark a few eggs and leave hem down there. If they disappear then something is getting them.

 

[nep big red]

Maybe these two pictures of their run will give you a better idea of the size.
The wire fence is 50’.

 

[Acre4Me]

Check for hidden nests.

Check for any evidence of egg eating although with that big of a reduction, you would have probably already figured that problem out.

do any look like they are molting? We have had spring hatched chicks molt at 11-12 months old.

any way humans could be the culprit? Is the coop accessible to walking paths or neighbors? It is a more common problem than I would have thought.

good luck

 

[21hens-incharge]

Since no one mentioned it I will....

Lice and mites can cause a drop in egg production as well as internal parasites.
I would give them a good once over just after dark using a headlamp so as not to disturb them to much.

 

[nep big red]

Since no one mentioned it I will....

Lice and mites can cause a drop in egg production as well as internal parasites.
I would give them a good once over just after dark using a headlamp so as not to disturb them to much.

Hmmm ... that’s something I hadn’t thought of.
Wouldn’t we see signs of them scratching? Or picking at themselves?
I’m standing in my sunroom right now and can see them milling around in their run. I’ve not noticed any picking.
Sure! Right after typing that, I look out & see a couple of them preening!
Not sure how to check them for bugs though.

 

[rosemarythyme]

Not sure how to check them for bugs though.

For external bugs: Pick out a few birds to run a check on. You want to part feathers and get a good look at the skin and base of feathers, around vent area, belly, back. Mites would be very very tiny dots moving around, lice are white dots. Eggs can be laid at the base of feathers so look for clusters of very tiny dots around feathers.

Also check inside the coop for mites by going in at night and running a paper towel under the roosts. Red mites come out to eat at night. Look for tiny dots and red smears.

For worms you'd need to take a fecal sample to a vet's office and have them do a fecal float.

 

[hysop]

Maybe reduce the amount of treats. They may not be eating enough of the layer* crumbles because they know you have treats waiting for them. Have you always given them that much in treats?

 

[ChickNanny13]

2x @hysop Cut out the treats & just do their feed & water for a bit, see how that works. How many nest boxes do you have out? It's also very possible that they have hidden nests if they're "free ranging".