beach chick Posted August 19, 2010 Share Posted August 19, 2010 dont think rats would cause them not to lay; maybe they werent POL? (mind you, 10 weeks is a long time....) we are back to 1 egg today; 5 of them do have an excuse now (1 too young, 1 getting on, 3 moulting) but even so!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
migsy Posted August 20, 2010 Share Posted August 20, 2010 Aisling, perhaps you could try restricting their free ranging for a couple of weeks so that they will only eat layers pellets which is better for egg laying than food that they find themselves. Do you have a run you could put them in or find a small area that you could fence off? Worth a try perhaps. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FruitandNutCake Posted August 20, 2010 Share Posted August 20, 2010 Nearly 3 months of confinement to large walk in run, with no treats except hanging cabbage, treated with calcium supplement t, then poultry spice and flubenvet, and still only one egg every other day from Bonza I think, and the occasional extra egg from ex batt Sinead. Now I have lost Bonza, so looks like I'm down to one egg a week I really don't know what is going on with the girls! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PennyTikkaNoodles Posted August 21, 2010 Share Posted August 21, 2010 I have a drought too! Mine seems to be very long lasting as Penny & Tikka seem to have been on strike since at least Spring. Noodle is unfortunately no long with us, but even before her demise the other two weren't laying. Since their initial lay I was getting 3 eggs a day until the beginning of this year. Noodle's feather loss started to get worse and then total egg production started to dwindle down to 1 between 3 per day (with the odd soft shell falling through the roosting bars). Eventually, Noodle had an impacted crop, feather loss and squitty bum, and the tough decision of letting her go to the 'great Eglu in the sky' was made. Penny and Tikka still look like beautiful specimens, eat lots, free range for an hour or two a day. They have lovely fluffy botttoms! But they continue not to lay anything at all. There has been no change in diet, nor routine. I'm at a loss to explain. The only thing I can think is age? But I bought them from Omlet at the same time as the Eglu, so I thought that I would get more than a couple of years from them? Tikka has become more timid since Noodle departed (Noodle was the character and was fearless, nosy and very tame), but she has always been that way. She won't let anyone pick her up and appears scared to come out of the Eglu run, or go back into the run if anyone is near her. Penny went through a spell of sitting around in the run, so I gave her a dunk in cold water, in case that was a sign of broodiness. So, do I consider my girls as being retired or is it a bit early in their career for this? If they still should be laying, what can I do to get some sort of production back? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mrs P Posted August 24, 2010 Share Posted August 24, 2010 Whilst I'm glad that I'm not the only one with an odd egg situation going on, I feel sorry for us all, especially the girls who we expect to pop out these eggs on demand! I have two Omlet girls, a Gingernut Ranger and a Miss Pepperpot. Pepper was laying softies quite a bit in the early part of the year and has then moulted. Not many eggs at all from her this year - both girls are about 2and a bit years old. Ginger was laying more or less regularly but now both of them have stopped with the very occasional one from Ginger. They both go and sit on the nesting box for ages and get a bit annoyed if you try to look at them but they are really just going through the motions. They are both bright and lively and eat Omlet feed although not an enormous amount of it. They free-range in my garden and next doors most of the day and so are probably picking allsorts up to eat. I don't know what to do with them. My husband says they are just a pair of freeloaders! Poor girls! He loves them really. I had to buy eggs last week which was a bit weird after so long with the girls. So, any ideas? Or do we just have to accept them as pets just like a cat - cute and cuddly and not much earthly use!!! Yours, Eggless of Northwich Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
beach chick Posted August 25, 2010 Share Posted August 25, 2010 well we were up to 4 today - except I dropped one, and the dog had it!! Mrs P, its not a question of squeezing one out everyday, its just that out of 10 girls, 4 or 5 would be nice!!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Heidi-Hi Posted August 31, 2010 Share Posted August 31, 2010 Finally getting better! 9 Chickens, 7 eggs today, of which 2 is brand new never-laid-before-since-I've-had-them egss! Very chuffed Took us what feels like forever to get here Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
grracee Posted August 31, 2010 Share Posted August 31, 2010 I've only got my CLB laying at the moment, the other four are all in moult - suppose that solves the problem of why they aren't laying. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chooksy Posted September 1, 2010 Share Posted September 1, 2010 I was just about to post about our serious lack of eggs and then saw this thread!! We have 18 hens (2 currently broody) and getting just 5 eggs every day. They've been wormed, only have treats after 6pm etc Any ideas? Most are hybrids, some are pure. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
debbie26pet Posted September 2, 2010 Share Posted September 2, 2010 im glad im not the only one, out 22 hens im getting around 10-15 eggs a day. was getting worried some seem to having a moult etc. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chucky Mama Posted September 2, 2010 Author Share Posted September 2, 2010 I was just about to post about our serious lack of eggs and then saw this thread!! We have 18 hens (2 currently broody) and getting just 5 eggs every day. They've been wormed, only have treats after 6pm etc Any ideas? Most are hybrids, some are pure. What were they wormed with? and do they free range all day? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chooksy Posted September 3, 2010 Share Posted September 3, 2010 They're wormed with Flubenvet and have a large run - they don't free range in the garden as their WIR is really roomy and we can't trust Mr Foxy! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JS1 Posted September 4, 2010 Share Posted September 4, 2010 We're down to one or two (from six hens) whereas previously we were getting four or five (one lays only occasionally and anyway is ill just now). I'm fondly imagining it's because they missed us when we were on holiday the other week Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
clucker1 Posted September 4, 2010 Share Posted September 4, 2010 Hi I have just started this chicken lark and had 4 Omlet girls delivered 2 weeks ago...2 gingernut rangers and 2 miss pepperpots. 1 of each type laid immediately on delivery for 1 week, which I was eggstatic about!! For the last week, they have laid every other day and today on the third day. Also for the last week, I have let the girls out for 2-3 hours a day and they have had corn too. Does anyone have any ideas what I am doing wrong....it was all going so well to start with and now my egg production has dropped! Yes, they are great time wasters and great great fun! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chucky Mama Posted September 5, 2010 Author Share Posted September 5, 2010 They're wormed with Flubenvet and have a large run - they don't free range in the garden as their WIR is really roomy and we can't trust Mr Foxy! If they are eating a good quality food it is probably just a case of sitting tight You could try a supplement like Lifeguard and cutting out treats for a while although if not freeranging I would still give them something green to nibble on. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chucky Mama Posted September 5, 2010 Author Share Posted September 5, 2010 Hi I have just started this chicken lark and had 4 Omlet girls delivered 2 weeks ago...2 gingernut rangers and 2 miss pepperpots. 1 of each type laid immediately on delivery for 1 week, which I was eggstatic about!! For the last week, they have laid every other day and today on the third day. Also for the last week, I have let the girls out for 2-3 hours a day and they have had corn too. Does anyone have any ideas what I am doing wrong....it was all going so well to start with and now my egg production has dropped! Yes, they are great time wasters and great great fun! They are very new so this sort of laying pattern is common. Corn is best used sparingly as a treat rather than a major part of their diet. I would for the moment stick to pellets or mash. They will eat less feed if free ranging and egg production may suffer as a result. It is a good idea to ensure they have eaten well before letting them out to play Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
clucker1 Posted September 5, 2010 Share Posted September 5, 2010 Thank you so much for your help. I am being Mrs Meanie today and confining the girls to barracks with layers pellet only to eat. Our garden is full of bugs and worms...the girls have spent a lot of their time bottoms up gobbling in the afternoons! I am already missing them when I am gardening...but I'll let them out again (hopefully in the next few days)when their production has sorted itself out. Any other helpful tips most welcome! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chucky Mama Posted September 5, 2010 Author Share Posted September 5, 2010 I think you need to a degree to weigh up how much you need/love the eggs versus how much enjoyment you (and they) get out of free ranging. I get so pleasure out of seeing my girls free ranging. I watched one yesterday chasing a moth which was hilarious. Today I want to make Yorkshire Pudding and we have used up all of our eggs (to be fair we have used 6 so far this morning) I can't bear to shut mine in. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
beach chick Posted September 7, 2010 Share Posted September 7, 2010 6 yesterday!!! we now have a glut, but I've given the girls a treat of scrambled eggs. we also have more softies than usual, so am upping their calcium intake - separate thread in chicken clinic, but adding a couple of things together made me think a calcium supplement and extra grit might help. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
siamang2 Posted September 7, 2010 Share Posted September 7, 2010 I'm definitely in an egg drought and even had to buy some this week, which even though they were the best free range ones available were horrible I had three girls until recently, (all about 2 years old) used to get 3 good eggs a day, then about 4 months ago it all went wrong. Lots of softies, huge eggs (over 120g) but mainly water, then almost nothing. One stopped laying altogether, one carried on but stopped laying about a month ago then died two weeks later, and the third carried on okay until about 10 days ago when she stopped laying. Now she is back to what I can only assume are softies as there is a gooey mess in the nesting box each day. I have wormed them, de-mited them & house, given them crushed eggshells, a mineral powder and tried lifeguard in the water. I don't know what to do next. the only thing I haven't done is stopped them free ranging because they make too much noise when I do that! Completely exasparated comes to mind, still they are nice to look at!!!!! I did think I might get two more and see what happens with them..... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chucky Mama Posted September 8, 2010 Author Share Posted September 8, 2010 If they are up to date with Flubenvet worming (within the last 3-4months) I would try to encourage them to eat more pellets or mash - you may have to keep them in for a good fill of pellets before they are allowed out to play. You could moisten pellet to make into a mash which always encourages mine to eat more of them. Cut out all treats and s"Ooops, word censored!"s too to see if that helps. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
beach chick Posted September 8, 2010 Share Posted September 8, 2010 our drought has turned into a glut today - 9 eggs from 10 girls; Fairy is excused because not yet POL. all I can think of is a really thorough clean of the cube at the w/e, plus giving them some grit at about 11ish this morning and picking up the eggs at 5pm-ish - which really cant have made a difference. now got to turn my attention to the quail, who havent laid for at least a fortnight. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Janty Posted September 18, 2010 Share Posted September 18, 2010 We had 7 eggs today from 42 moulting, broody, free-loading, work-shy monsters. I've had a chat! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Patricia W Posted September 20, 2010 Share Posted September 20, 2010 I got 1 ( from an ex-bat) from 12 hens the other day. The Polish have just about stopped laying ( moulting) so most days we are getting 2 from the three ex-bats. We'll soon have to buy some eggs at this rate! Tricia Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CallyChook Posted September 20, 2010 Share Posted September 20, 2010 We're in a bit of a drought, Guinevere is normally a 6 - a -week bird, age 1.5, but is moulting and we're on about every other day. Faye the buff orpie is moulting heavily and has been for 3 weeks, we've had 2 eggs in that time, and Morgana the bald gold laced orpie is on about 2 a week - fantastic really considering she is being bullied and half bald. I'm just waiting for payday then I can get some fencing to seperate her off, and a new coop. Until then, she's managing to eat enough and has enough space to avoid aggression most of the day. We bought Morrisons organic FR eggs the other day.... gack! Nothing like our own eggs :'( Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
