wheres the egg?

[EricH]

I was given a SLW hen and an EE hen about 4 weeks or so ago. got 4 eggs from the SLW, none from the EE then the SLW quit and theyre just gobblin up my feed. ive heard its common for them to get stressed easily. is that a little too long? they dont seem EXTREMELY old, but probably a couple years or so. figured you guys would know better than i would...

 

[Buttercup Chillin]

Are they on different food now?

Do they have oyster shell free choice?

What is the heat like there? Are they molting?

Mine are molting now. Eggs can slow down to nothing during the molt. That alone can last 3-6 weeks with no eggs. But usually 3 weeks from the last egg when going thru a molt. If so give them extra protein (cat food works, a hand full a day) along with their feed or for treats. It helps the feathers grow back in faster. I am lucky mine molt at different times, so I just have a slow down.

 

[EricH]

I am raising them with some metzer farms golden 300 ducks (about 2 months old [nearly full grown, these things grow quick!]) and some other various chicken breeds which are anywhere from 3 weeks to 3 months old. So i've got them on flock raiser which is like 20-21% i believe, so i dont think there would be a protein deficiency. They get all they want to eat and get to range about a 50x50 foot pen. My neighbors gave them to me and someone gave them to the neighbors (along with about 20 other chickens). never used oyster shell, since MY chicks arent nearly to laying age yet i didnt think it was too big of a deal. With no eggs being laid, these 2 are more like step-children, hehe. What do you guys think?

Oh, and i live in calaveras county, north-central california at about 600 ft elevation. Heat is between 75-95 daytime temperatures, very mild summer.

 

[Buttercup Chillin]

they need calcium, Flock Raiser is for youngsters.

Your laying hens have to have oyster shell to make the shells for the eggs.

Because Flock raiser is for all ages up to laying age, it doesn't have much calcium in it. Definately not enough for laying hens. They need oyster shell free choice.

Trust me on this, I have chickens, chicks and Ducks of all ages. I don't use Flock Raiser but my Ducks and growers are on grower feed, not much Calcium in it, either.

I put a bowl free choice of oyster shell and dried up crunched up egg shells and the hens and Ducks that are laying take what they need.
Even if you had them on Layer food, they would still need oyster shell or crushed egg shell available. They need more calcium than what they put in the feed.

If they don't need it they will not eat it. The young ones won't go near it until they are close to point of lay. That's how I tell they are close to laying. I watch that bowl and who is going there. Roosters and Drakes will nibble from time to time, those thick legs of theirs need a little more calcium, too.

Get them a small bag of oyster shell, about 3-5 days later you should have some eggs again. I go thru a 50# bag of oyster shell a year with 18-24 Hens. Now I'm cutting back it should last me a few years.

I mix the oyster shell and the crushed egg shell cause, they can use the crushed egg shell faster than the oyster shell, but they need new reserves, too.

 

[EricH]

So anyways, I roll over to the feed store today and get a 50lb sack of oyster shell. didnt know it was only a few bucks. got home, put out a big ol' tray of it to see if i had any takers. poked my head into the coop and sure enough, darn bird layed an egg today while i was at work. i appreciate the info, and i will definately leave the oyster shell out of them. thanks!

 

[Buttercup Chillin]

We always say, all you have to do is just mention the problem on this board and sure enough, it fixes itself.

But they will use the oyster shell and you'll have more eggs on a regular basis. Your girl may have been eggbound, or just needed to consume enough feed to get enough calcium to make another egg. Or it may have been something else entirely.

I used to buy the little bags of oyster shell and when I ran out I did notice an egg slowdown until I got more for them. So when I found the big bags, I grabbed one and have been using them eversince. I have had to ask them to order it and there were times (2 years ago) they couldn't get the big bags. There was actually a scarcety of oyster shell.

With the problem in the Gulf, this year I bought 2 bags, just in case. I don't want to have to ask my neighbors to save egg shells for me again.

Enjoy your chickens and those eggs.