Why Aren't My Chickens Laying? Here Are Your Answers!

[Abirdbrain]

I dont get it either. We have 11 appenzellers, that just stopped laying. I was getting 5-7 per day, and then 3 and poof! Nothing , 4rth day. We feed Layena and add oyster shell 3 times a week. Also giving offcode bread stuff from the day old store. All the girls like it. in all 4 tractor coops. All coops move every day or two for new grasses in the open bottom pens.. What gives? The boom of the Fireworks, threats of Foxes, or Coyotes? I dont get it.

I need to know.

 

[Cass]

Quote:
Were they laying when they were getting the bread or did they stop shortly after it was added to their diet?

I found out first hand that too many treats results in no eggs. I am currently finding out that as much as I love to see them outside to much outside time also results in lower egg production.

Try cutting out one thing at a time until you find out what is causing them to stop laying.

Oh, you have a lot of booming around? Stress is a real egg laying killer. Loud noises or disturbances can cause them stress...how much stress stops them from laying is hard to determine...

 

[Abirdbrain]

Ok, well, no. The bread thing is really supplemental, they have a 4 nipple water system from a 5 gallon covered bucket. When we got them they were laying, 2-4 eggs per day. After a few days, it went up to 5-7 or so. Since these are wintered over birds, all hens, they lay, are really clean in their walkunder house and 5x 12 pen, that moves every other day or so. A lb loaf is given nearly every day, Along with feed in the pan, checked twice a day. Their crop looks like a tumor near nightfall. They are well fed. All the birds we have are supplemented with range coop grazing, and bread products, with an eye to strange things, like raisins and onion bagels, to limit that kind of stuff. bun hotdog, burger buns and whole wheat breads, are common fare, making up maybe 20% of diet by weight. Otherwise their staple is Layena, with a little scratch grains, oyster shell, since they layed thin shell when we go them, now better. The other young birds are not laying yet and are on Flock crumbles, scratch grains, and supplemental Bread things. There are no sugar, frosted or fruit based anything in the huge bags of Off Code we get. As much as 20 lbs for $2.25. So all Purina, Bagged oyster shell. and bread things. They went many weeks with this, and no problems.

I handle the birds constantly and always look for problems, Picking, broken toes, droopy and closed eyes, looking around the neck and under wings for parsites or damage. They have taken to getting pretty docile about the handling. We lost a couple of foreign birds in another coop. Given to us, they seem to be bred back X-rocks or something, and appear to have the 'fatal gene' condition. One lost, starved before we undertood what was happening, her sister was bigger, but 'swims' with her wings across the coop, as she cant walk more than a step or two. She is marked to be culled soon, as she is cared for by hand, and separated daily. Her legs ar tiny.

We ahve a hand raised group, that we made a mistake with, adding 5 older birds to the group of 12 RIR we raised in the living room. The foreign birds are layed out, only giving one rough egg a day, for the 3 surviving birds. Right after we got them, we noticed droopy tails in most of the birds in that coop. Ya, snotty noses and crunchy feathers on the back. The whole cage ran through it, with the gaping and gurgles and the whole thing. We lost half the coop over a coupla weeks. These are the girls I carefully dunked in soapy Bleach water, and cleaned their gunky feet, as I figured it the best course against contamination, and they were just dirty, from a horse barn. Well, EEEeehhhhh! big Buzz. They were sick, and all that coop came down with this Cold and raspy cough. They are now over it mostly, only one at this time 'poses' and has one eye glued shut. All ten birds in this coop, one survivng Sussex, 6 RIR, 3 Cinnamin Q, are going to be culled, as they are now carriers for life of this infectous respiratory thing. ( What I have read from this very board.)

I need the coop, so I have a weed burner torch to play over the exposed surfaces of the coop to flash the living areas, and wire. Then sprayed with a strong bleach water, followed in a few hours with a Brominated cleaner, as used for Hot Tubs and Spas. I will allow this to 'age' 48 hrs, before comitting my JUNK birds to it. If we sell the unwanted oddballs, we will be down about 25% with the culls and have 4 coops for about 50 birds.

I am finishing a mental copy of the 5x6 Tall coop, with the side nests. It is a walkunder, 16 inches tall, and the girls love it, retreating from the heat and storms under the building. A framed wire yard of 6 x 12 x 24 inches tall, will complete this Chicken Condo.

I appreciate any opinions and input, as I have never dealt with illnesses. Only three crop stoppages from new birds. 2 for 3 on that one. Can any one steer me to sterilization and recycle techniques for the coop - runs..

 

[rancher hicks]

Well one thing about having white birds is you see feathers easy enough and there are quite a few in the run and in the yard. So I figure a molt is going on. Once again the books are wrong. I've read stress can cause a molt is that right? I have two runs of birds and have let them all out at the same time and there are new ones in the other coop. Maybe the new birds messed things up.

I hate to make changes in the coop but sometimes they go in the wrong coop. Right now there is one maran and frenchy in with all the Dels. Frenchy is ok but that maran is from the non del coop. She roost up high and I just haven't felt like climbing up and getting her.

I wonder if the new fencing has cause any stress. The old was painting with redwood stain. Plus the new is a little higher off the ground. There is fencing along the lower part so they can't get out and nothing can get in. Nothing like a cat or dog.


Just three eggs yesterday. Lord have mercy.

rancher

 

[Cass]

Quote:
Sounds like you have a whole lot of problems going on at once. Have you used the search engine on this site to see if someone has a thread going regarding any or all of your problems?

I do know that people with a lot more experience than I say to almost never feed bread to birds. It keeps them from eating the protein they need for egg laying. Good feed is all they need to eat, ever. Treats are just that "treats" and should be given only occationally. (I violate that ALL the time and mine are no longer laying. I never learn)

 

[Vanmundi]

Our chickens (6 of them and one Rooster) are about 2 years old. We usually get about 4 to 6 eggs a day.
Last Tuesday we totally cleaned the chicken coop and lay down new wood shavings.
The Saturday before, we moved the hen house about 10 ft. and fenced them in for the first time.
The penned in area is about 25 x 25 ft.

After Tuesday - they have totally stopped laying eggs.

Did we totally stress them out? Is the area we have for them too small? The feed and the watering routine has remained the same.

I thought I would give them some time to adjust - but do you think a week is too short? Too Long?

Signed~
Feeling like a failure in the Finger Lakes

 

[EricH]

Get more chickens! that is the way to ensure a good supply of eggs! hehe

 

[rancher hicks]

Well I've just about had it. If they don't pick up soon they're all going. I've had enough of wasting my time feeding, watering and cleaning for less than a dozen eggs from more than twenty five hens. I got a phone call today from someone who wants to buy two to three dozen a day. I've been getting 6 to 8.

I think come spring I'm getting rid of the purebreds and getting hybrids. I may cross the golden comets with the rir's and see what happens. I NEED SOME EGGS!

 

[Cass]

Quote:
Yes, a week is not long enough for them to readjust to changes. However in that week the heat has hit also, so it is probably a combination of things causing the lower egg count and once one of them resolves or the chicken adjust they will start laying again.

Have you wormed them this season? I decided to worm my chickens while they weren't laying....just seemed like good timing for me. It was 4 days of the 14 day that you can't eat the eggs anyway before they started laying again, so I only missed 10 days of eggs, instead of 14 days.

 

[Cass]

Quote:
Let me know when you are selling off the old stock...I may have space by then...I'm feeding a non laying flock as it is, what's a few more freeloaders.