Nature Chick Posted June 4, 2010 Share Posted June 4, 2010 Hi We moved to our new house in October last year with our then year old babies and our ancient ex-batt. Over winter we kept them in an extended run on Aubiose and got two eggs nearly every day through the winter. A few months ago we moved them onto the lawn and gave them their netted pen so that they are out all day now. It was at this point that the egg laying became less frequent. We wormed them and gave them some spice and extra greens (they are eating and drinking well). When their run is on one side of the garden they seem to lay better than the other side but this week we have only had one egg! They seem fit and healthy and a couple of months ago had a vet check-up and had their wings clipped. I am worried about the lack of eggs as it is out of character and I am worried that we can't get to the bottom of it. The eggs we have had over the last few months have had blood spots and a few have had rippled shells - does this mean that something is upsetting them? They seem much happier in our new garden than the old one - even little Hattie who was so neurotic has calmed down and is now a relaxed little hen! Any help and advice would be gratefully received as at this point we are wondering if someone is stealing the eggs!!!! Many thanks Sophie Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Toots Posted June 5, 2010 Share Posted June 5, 2010 I don't really have much advice but i thought posting would put it back to the top of the board! if someone is stealing the eggs it could be a rat, i have seen (not where i am now) a rat take an egg from the nest and roll it along the garden into its nest/hole and come back for more. anyway i hope someone can help soon! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nature Chick Posted June 5, 2010 Author Share Posted June 5, 2010 Thanks Toots Funnily enough we did have a rat a few months ago which had to be dealt with I'm afraid We have seen none of the signs that there is one back but we shall keep our eyes peeled! No eggs again today........ S Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chucky Mama Posted June 6, 2010 Share Posted June 6, 2010 Are they eating less pellets now that you have moved them. This may be resulting in less productivity. The ridged shells may be a result of a different perhaps less complete diet. If you have wormed recently with Flubenvet then worms shouldn't be an issue. Lots of others are reporting a drop in egg production at the moment. Most have free range hens who seem to be filling up with tasty things they are finding around the garden rather than pellets. I have gone from 4 eggs a day to 1 but I have 2 going through mini moults. You definitely need to deal with your rats as they breed very quickly, carry disease and will not just go away. They can an will move from your garden to your house if you don't control them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cavysqueak Posted June 6, 2010 Share Posted June 6, 2010 We've been going through the same thing. The chickens say 'Silly humans - thinking that moving to a new house with an area five times as big as the previous run will make us more at home - now we just fill up on anything we can get our beaks on, grass, flies, other insects, slugs and we've even tried a toad!' This has meant that the one chicken who eats no layers pellets (if she can get away with it) has been laying softies (and promptly eating them, therefore only leaving a soggy mess in the nest box). They have access to Oyster shell mixed in with their pellets & in their morning mix of food, but they obviously aren't eating this! I trawled this forum and after some advice I read from another post I've been keeping them in their boring, bark chipping floored run all morning (despite desperate noises) so they are more inclined to eat the layers pellets and I've been feeding them their layers mash/meal with added crushed oyster shell, and .... I've got eggs! From both chickens again for two days now. Yesterday's egg was a bit thin shelled, but todays' has brown splotches on again and looks good. So fingers' crossed. I also read about liquid calcium you can put in their water, but I haven't tried this, so it is not a recommendation. Good luck! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nature Chick Posted June 7, 2010 Author Share Posted June 7, 2010 Thank you so much for your replies! I am going to try keeping them in tomorrow and see if that makes a difference - so glad to hear that we aren't the only ones! They do seem to spend the day chasing insects rather than eating their proper food! I was also wondering if the wild bird activity might be bothering them - on Saturday they were joining in the alarm calls of the rest of the birds as a Jackdaw was checking out everyones nests! Thanks again S p.s. we are now sure that the rats aren't back after much surveilance over the weekend! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chucky Mama Posted June 8, 2010 Share Posted June 8, 2010 They do seem to spend the day chasing insects rather than eating their proper food! Hmm yes, I recognise that - very funny watching them do it though Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nature Chick Posted June 9, 2010 Author Share Posted June 9, 2010 We have eggs!!!!!!! After your advice we kept the girls in their run yesterday and got one egg.....today we kept them in again and got 2! So you were right - they were too busy enjoying their free-ranging to eat mash and lay eggs! I am so relieved that there is nothing wrong - I just have to convince my husband not to keep them locked up every day! Thanks again S Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hippy chick Posted June 10, 2010 Share Posted June 10, 2010 I'm glad i'm not the only one that has seen a decline in eggs. I was begining to worry that my lot had reached the eggopause! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FruitandNutCake Posted June 11, 2010 Share Posted June 11, 2010 I've had the same problem also. It started about 2-3 weeks ago, out of 5 chickens I was down to one soft egg a day that is being eaten. They have been confined to large run for last 11 days, and have been treated with flubevet, pultry spice and calcium additive. I'm now up to one solid egg every other day and still one soft egg every day!! Very strange, and I wonder if it is down to the weather???? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eggasperated Posted June 11, 2010 Share Posted June 11, 2010 Same here - pellet consumption has gone down enormously and only one of my two (Alice) is laying, Carol spends her days eating grubs, worms, flies and any other goodies she can catch. I think I'll leave her to it as she seems to be having such a good time. Hopefully she will reward my kindness eventually. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
springlegs Posted June 11, 2010 Share Posted June 11, 2010 hi all, i am having a very simalar problem, sorry i can offer no help as to why she has stopped, however my problem with my hen all began when she had a strange very early moult in the late wintertine and as a result stopped laying,(she is a columbian blacktail, and nearly one year old lives with a white star who is a brill layer, has acsees to grass every day and is not broody)but i wasn't worried as this is natural.But then whan she fineshed her mault and grew all feathers back there was still no eggs! and now the plot thickens... about 2 months after she fineshed the mault she layed an absouloutley tiny egg with no youlk! and hasent layed since please help!!! fudge vanilla doesent lay any more (old) ostrich Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chucky Mama Posted June 11, 2010 Share Posted June 11, 2010 I would make sure that she is up to date with worming (Flubenvet) and ensure that she having a decent amount of pellets or mash every day. Is she crouching and is her comb large and red? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FruitandNutCake Posted June 11, 2010 Share Posted June 11, 2010 I thought chickens were supposed to stop laying eggs in winter - not the first sign of summer!! I'm not too worried as I'm sure they will start laying again! I wormed mine 2 months ago with flubenvet, but gave them another week's course last week just to be on the safe side. I just think it is very odd that all 5 of mine have stopped at the same time!! I Initially thought they were laying them somewhere in my vast garden, so confined them to walk in run - only to discover there still were no eggs! Mine won't touch ground up baked egg shell or grit/oyster shell so I stated the calcium supplement at the same time as the flubenvet and not much change after 11 days. They are only eating 100g of pellets each a day - which doesn't seem much! Will keep you updated! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chucky Mama Posted June 11, 2010 Share Posted June 11, 2010 Mine laid daily all winter even in the most awful weather and for the last month I have had only 1 laying (did get 2 this morning though). I have stopped calcium & Vitamin D supplementation now as the one producing softies has stopped. I don't think calcium &Vitamin D supplementation without good evidence of it being required is sensible. I am pretty sure that the mixture of a bit of light moulting, too many garden goodies and too few pellets are the problem here. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Egluntyne Posted June 12, 2010 Share Posted June 12, 2010 Always worth checking around the garden, under shrubs, in old containers etc for a secret cache of eggs when egg numbers drop and the hens are freeranging, too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
springlegs Posted June 13, 2010 Share Posted June 13, 2010 hahaha, i totally agree the girls do spend as mutch time as they can saching bugs and snails.Im afraid im going to have to break it to them that they cant come out today...! and fingers crossed she will lay!!! - (columbian blacktail-fudge) - (white star-vanilla) ex batts -old, does not lay ( whitetail?-ostrich) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FruitandNutCake Posted July 19, 2010 Share Posted July 19, 2010 Well, it's been over a month, and I'm still in the same situation. I'm getting just one egg every other day, and a broken one each day. maybe my chickens have reached the henopause . I wouldn't be surprised if the ex-batts stopped laying, but my other 3 are only 2 years old! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
