4m x 3m Omlet pen, cube, new auto door still boxed and coop light

[BocBoc]

I haven't got a clue what's going on with our chooks at the moment - but for the past four weeks their egg laying is a surprise a day. One day we get no eggs, then we'll get three, or two or one. Somedays we get a good egg on it's own, some days we get a softie too and yesterday we got one good egg, a lash and a softie.

 

What's going on?!

 

We aren't letting the girls free range until after 12 noon. They have organic layers pellets and fresh water in their run. We give them a treat bowl at tea time with something different in it everyday.

 

I've now got some Flubenvet and wormed them for the first time yesterday (mashed up the powder with some cooked rice - it went down well!!)

 

Any other suggestions?

 

Thanks, Annie

[Egluntyne]

When they have finished the course of Flubenvet, why not give them some limestone flour and cod liver oil.

 

Mix about a desertspoonful of each to a grub full of pellets. It might help.

[BocBoc]

Yuk - that sounds digusting!! Thank you for the advice - I'll pop it on the shopping list and we'll see if that helps

[indigopurple]

i have no advice but just wanted to say i love the names of your chickens

[BocBoc]

Lol!! Thanks!!

[BocBoc]

Well, last night Lmao produced a softie (all over the garden path) and there was another one in the droppings tray of the Eglu this morning, I suspect from Rofl as she was poorly last night. All girls seemed fine this morning and were pecking away merrily in their run whilst I scrubbed the Eglu clean.

 

I'm getting a bit fed up with this! On order I have : apple cider vinegar, cod liver oil and limestone flour.

 

Does anyone have any other tips?

 

Thanks

[BocBoc]

....another softie in the droppings tray this morning

[Olly]

How old are your girls?

 

The tips about worming and limestone flour are all good. Unfortunately I've experienced this with both my Gingernuts as they got to about two years old, with either laying softies or no eggs at all, and I think it was just the case that their egg-tackle was worn out.

 

You're doing everything right e.g. keeping them in the run till they've eaten their pellets and so on. You could try keeping them in the run for a bit longer each day, and withholding any treats (I know that sounds harsh, but they will survive it!) just to see if that makes any change.

 

If your girls are younger then it may just be a temporary blip, but if they're older then I'm afraid it may indicate that their egg-laying career is coming to an end.

[BocBoc]

Thanks for the post Olly - the girls are still young - they are all Omlet girls, delivered on 4th March this year - so hopefully it's just a temporary blip. The only treats they had last week was rice that their worming powder was mixed with - and a few dried mealworms to get them back into their run if we needed to shut them in.

 

Good news! Three eggs on Saturday!! Bad news - Lmao's was an 85g egg and very tall, I cracked the top of it when trying to close the lid on the egg box - oops!

 

Two eggs yesterday from Pmsl and Rofl, I think Lmao was having the day off after laying a whopper the day before!! Will see what's waiting in the nesting box when I get home later