Pro - Does anyone else's nest boxes get soaked in rain?

[Alex_LJZ]

Hi, my 2 ex batt hens are having egg problems as I have reported previously. both lay soft shelled eggs a few times a week. One is worse than the other and she also lays broken eggs (broken inside) and gets eggbound from time to time. They have plenty of grit, suplements of egg shell improver and cod liver oil.

 

I have a collegue who has kept hens for years said that comercial layers may need encouraging to go into moult and stop producing eggs and this can have big benefits for the hen and for future egg production.

 

He suggested cutting their food to a few oz per day, but maybe something more drastic if that doesn't work.

 

Has anyone any experience of this?

[Beantree]

Bit confused by this Alex? You can give them a laying break by reducing their protein intake and putting them on just wheat. They moult when it suits them, particularly after a very hot spell. When they feather up they need extra protein, so there will be insufficient in a normal diet for that and eggs, so they stop laying. 'Forcing a moult' is a term I haven't encountered before and seems a pointless exercise.

[Egluntyne]

It is common practice in the battery industry. It is very harsh, and not to be recommended for backyard chickens. If your hens are ex batts they will have had their best laying years before they came to you. I would cut back on supplements and extras, and just keep them on a top quality range of laters pellets for a couple of months.