my hens used to lay large eggs,but now they are small i used to give them pellets but they got tired of it and wouldnt eat it so i got crushed corn they love it i was wondering it the change of food would make them lay small eggs and also they are losing weigh.
Crushed corn is not a complete diet and does not provide adequate nutrition for optimal egg production. I would recommend going back to a layer ration.
Crushed corn is not a complete food for them - it's a treat and should only be a very small part of their diets. They are a lot like kids - if you offer ice cream in one hand and spinach in the other what do you think they'll live on? They may have stopped eating the pellets if the bag of food had gotten stale and when you stopped giving them that and gave them just crushed corn they naturally began to prefer it. There's probably nothing seriously wrong with your hens - they are most likely just spoiled and in your sincere desire to see them happy you're kinda feeding into it. Easy to do - take it from someone who learned that quickly and first hand! The first thing I'd do is buy another fresh bag of regular food. It doesn't have to be layer pellets - grower/starter seems to gain their interest and you can offer crushed oyster shell free choice if you decide to do that. They'll eat what they need of that on their own. I would also recommend giving them cooked eggs chopped up with the shells about once or at the most twice a week. You're trying to get them to eat the good stuff, remember, not continue the problem of them eating everything they like and nothing they need. But the extra protein and calcium will help get their systems back on track. For now stop the corn....they don't need it but they want it. You might also want to make sure you don't have a parasite problem - either internal or external - going on. Parasites sap the nutrients right out of them, and something's going to suffer for that - egg production included. How old are they? Maybe they are running past their prime at this point. Are they breeds geared for high egg production or are they considered average or mediocre layers rather than egg producing machines? There are lots of things to consider, but the very first thing to do is remember that you are in charge of what goes into their feeder. You might also do a search on here for fermented feeds. Lots of people use them very successfully and their birds thrive. Good luck! Remember, Person Big, Chicken Small!
Corn is very tasty BUT meant to be a treat! Buy a good layer ration, have oyster shell on the side free choice, and skip the corn at least for a while. Mary
