Why have our eggs gotten smaller?

[csk021]

We have 29 laying hens and 2 roosters and they are all just over 2 years old. The majority of them are Rhode Island reds but there are 4 Americaunas in the mix. Since the snow has finally melted and the weather is warming up here in Michigan our chickens are finally starting to lay more eggs but they are smaller. Some of them by at least 25% We average around 14 eggs a day right which to me is kind of low. I've run through all the options that could be effecting them and just can't figure it out! This is our 7th year with chickens so we're definitely not new to backyard birds but this has me stumped.

I have a light on a timer so they get enough light to stimulate production. They have plenty of water always available. They have 20 acres to free range although they stay close to the coop for the most part. We did merge 2 flocks together in March so maybe it's a stress thing? But the hen-pecking doesn't seem as bad now either.

Only things I can think is that I started them on fermented food in Feb/March. They do still have dry crumble available though so I wouldn't think they're hungry - not to mention the free range option for fresh greens, bugs, etc.

I even bought a bag of grower feed the last time we picked up food thinking some extra protein might help. I think it might have increased a little but not enough to completely fix the problem.

Any suggestions would be appreciated! My son sells the eggs for extra spending money and I feel bad selling such small eggs so we have to sort out the small ones and keep them for our own use.

 

[ChickenCanoe]

Light won't affect egg size - only ovulation.

Protein is the primary thing for larger eggs. The yolk and albumen will be affected by protein and then the 2 grams of calcium will go around that mass.

It isn't just protein but adequate essential amino acids.

I'd try some animal protein, like fish or meat. A cheap source is canned mackerel.

He can package small/medium eggs together for one price and large/xlarge/jumbos for another price.
That's how I do it. Peewees and smalls go in our fridge. Mediums sell for $3 and mixes of larger eggs sell for 4.

 

[csk021]

Light won't affect egg size - only ovulation.

Protein is the primary thing for larger eggs. The yolk and albumen will be affected by protein and then the 2 grams of calcium will go around that mass.

It isn't just protein but adequate essential amino acids.

I'd try some animal protein, like fish or meat. A cheap source is canned mackerel.

He can package small/medium eggs together for one price and large/xlarge/jumbos for another price.
That's how I do it. Peewees and smalls go in our fridge. Mediums sell for $3 and mixes of larger eggs sell for 4.

Thanks for the reply! we've been giving them some cat food for boosted protein too but I'm not sure I like all the extra "junk" in with it - course it can't be much worse than chicken feed I suppose! But the canned meat is a good idea! Anytime I make bone broth they get the bones and mostly all the extra scraps that get strained out - skin, etc.

He only charges $2.50 for eggs and sometimes I worry that's too much around here! That's great you can get $4! We have a pair of ducks that give us an egg a day and those are bigger so we do sell those for $4 a dozen.

 

[ChickenCanoe]

With canned fish, you don't get any additives.
Chicken feed doesn't have much in the line of additives either. No artificial flavor or color. About the only thing unnecessary is the binding agent to make pellets.

 

[enola]

Have you wormed your hens?

 

[csk021]

Have you wormed your hens?

I haven't wormed them but have rolled it around in my head. I gave them a couple doses of oregeno in their water about a week apart. Been checking droppings and not seeing anything obvious but still wonder....

 

[enola]

If they are carrying a heavy load of worms, oregano is not going to treat them.

 

[ChickenCanoe]

You won't know if they have worms unless you have a fecal sample read. You can't see anything microscopic like worm eggs.
After a fecal read, you'll know if there's a problem and whether or not to treat.
All free range chickens will have some worms but healthy chickens can handle a light load.
Some people treat on a schedule. In my lifetime with thousands of chickens, I've wormed one rooster because he had a heavy load of worms.

 

[B-Goock]

A local told me to use safeguard horse wormer but he has no idea how much to give a chicken. I looked it up online and rural king has it. It said it has fenbendazole in it. Now to figure out how much to give.

 

[ChickenCanoe]

Do you have evidence they have worms? Are they very thin?