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At the moment we are lucky to get 1 egg every second to third day, this has been going on for the past 2-3 months, have had 2 reds that brooded and have passed that stage. They are given fresh water daily, and no shortage of feed a mix of Barastock Darling Downs Layer and Vella commercial layer crumble. with a sprinkling of cracked corn and fine shell grit mixed in, Vege scraps when available and all girls are let out every day to rome free. Fresh saw dust in the laying boxes every weekend but still no results. Can anyone shed some light and advice, as we are not keen on having to buy eggs again.

2007-04-22 17:45:41 · 2 answers · asked by Anonymous in Pets Birds

2 answers

First how old are they.Second your feed is over complicated.Have they been exposed to a heat light during the winter or do you have a light in there now.Did they set when they were broody or were they just broody.
Rhode island breeds of chickens are not known to shut down over the winter nor during the spring.The cross you have seldom shut down.Even when molting.Your feed is way over complicated.The only time you should feed a grit is when they have no access to soil.Oyster shell like any shell builder should never be present in their food it should be offered off to the side in a separate bowl and then limited.The chickens will eat it as they need it.To much shell builder can shut them down as well as create miss shaped shells.I would almost be willing to be many of your eggs in the past have had rough grainy areas on them.Basic laying rations are 16% protein.8% fat.There is no need for 2 different types of layer.Adding the cracked corn is good to help keep their overall weight up.It is always better to feed crumbles rather then pellets.If you have a rooster I am not sure why you only allow the hens out.Chickens are very social and the rooster should be with them when they are turned out.If not every day the pecking order is getting upset.This can cause the chickens to shut down as well.Light is the biggest thing which influences egg production.If you had a heat light with them during the winter it can shut them down if not done properly removing the light again can shut them down if not done properly.A broody hen will still lay unless she goes to setting.Then she will halt egg production for some time.
There are many questions which need to be answered before knowing exactly why they aren't laying.I have RhodeIsland whites As well as Rhode island reds I also have Dark Rhode Island reds.I have several Rhode island crosses.
They lay fairly well throughout their molt.Light is the key thing that will cause them to shut down.During the winter if I wish to shut them down for a week all I need to do is leave a standard heat light or regular light on all night and they will dramatically reduce in production for at least a week.I have over 30 hens and can reduce them to 2 eggs per day.
One more thing cedar chips are better then saw dust.You may want to check around your yard they may have developed an outside nest they are laying in.

2007-04-22 20:28:10 · answer #1 · answered by ddstantlerstill 4 · 0 0

This Site Might Help You.

RE:
Why won't my hens lay eggs, have a mix af Isa browns x 3 and reds x 4?
At the moment we are lucky to get 1 egg every second to third day, this has been going on for the past 2-3 months, have had 2 reds that brooded and have passed that stage. They are given fresh water daily, and no shortage of feed a mix of Barastock Darling Downs Layer and Vella commercial layer...

2015-09-10 00:36:19 · answer #2 · answered by Pet 1 · 0 0

Are your birds moulting? During the moult they won't lay very much, but it should pick up afterwards. You'll know this by the amount of feathers dropped everywhere.
The other thing is what's the weather like where you are? If its coming into winter then the birds won't lay as much due to the lack of sunlight hours. If that's the case, supplying a few hours of artificial light in the coup will improve the situation - a single fluorescent turned on for two to three hours in the early evening.
Extreme cold can do the same. If this is the case you may have to stable the birds for the time being.
If your birds roam free for part of the day are you sure that they aren't laying somewhere else, and hiding the eggs? Especially as you have had broodies.
Otherwise everything seems to be OK.

2007-04-22 17:57:56 · answer #3 · answered by Barb Outhere 7 · 1 0

Firstly, remove all the cracked corn and veggie scraps from their diet.

If you have a run that you can keep them in then do so, just so that they can only eat layers pellets rather than leaves etc. all the time.

Thirdly, I've had problems with few eggs, and I have come to the conclusion that someone has been stealing eggs, for various reasons. Try padlocking your coop if you feel that this is a possibility.

2007-04-23 01:49:20 · answer #4 · answered by Helena 6 · 0 0

You could try some artificial lighting. I've noticed that laying hens, even some of the good laying breeds, will sometimes get lax on laying during winter and even into early spring. Also, be sure to let them out later in the morning because they tend to lay early.

2007-04-22 17:50:06 · answer #5 · answered by dolly 6 · 1 0

put hay in the nests go to your feed store buy some laying mash that should help also give them eggshells thats what i done give them about a half of a 5gallon bucket full then fill it up the rest of the way with cracked corn we did now we get about 60 eggs a day

2007-04-22 19:38:28 · answer #6 · answered by Stephanie Y 1 · 0 0

You did say that you let all the girls out.Did that mean there is no rooster or do you just leave him inside?If you don't have a rooster to do the nasty with the girls they are not stimulated to lay eggs.Otherwise it sounds like they are well taken care of.

2007-04-22 18:08:36 · answer #7 · answered by scott_kel 4 · 0 2

because they r all male?...jk..idk...why did the chicken cross the road?..idk..wat came first the chicken or the egg?

2007-04-22 17:50:27 · answer #8 · answered by Mix M 3 · 0 1

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