Many hens few eggs

[frustratedearthmother]

@baymule I was waiting for you to chime in on the Delawares, lol. Good to know though cuz at one time I thought I wanted some... not now! Did you Australorp eggs get bigger when the hens got a little older. Pullet eggs were pretty small, but after their first molt they turned into nice large eggs....not extra large...but a solid large.

 

[moxies_chickennuggets]

Out of my formerly large (33) flock, I now have 10 hens left. 5 blue eggers, 5 tan eggers. RIR's, game hen mixes, Plymouth mixes, and some EE. They all took a break and molted back in Oct. Now only the blue eggers are back to laying, (they are from 5 yrs to 1 yr old). The blue egg layers are mostly gm birds with the EE dna mixed in.

The tan eggers- I had one laying happily...Plymouth who is 5 yrs old. Then she quit. But the tan eggers, they are different ages also. From 5 yrs old to younger.

I know they need more protein. I was getting them extra protein, but stopped when we got the flu. Time to up the protein again.

 

[NH Homesteader]

Do it!! Lol bad influence here...

I however am not ordering chicks this year. Not gonna do it.

 

[Beekissed]

As i suspected once they start eating eggs its hard to break them. They are eating shells and all. I have feed for them 24x7x365 18% all flock. I also use barn lime / deep bedding plus they have their yard which has plenty of small stones.

I think i'm just going to put them all in the freezer and start over with a different breed maybe a dozen or so Golden Comet and raise some CCX for meat.

IDK... Any recommendations on a good calm laying breed?

I wouldn't dump your hens just yet. At this time of year the old egg works are ramping up to start laying and shells can be thin when birds come into a laying cycle and go out of one, so are easily damaged when birds get on and off the nest. Every year on forums across the net at those times the same thread topic arises....the dreaded egg eater.

Except...ALL chickens are egg eaters. It's instinct to eat something good that is there before them, as in these cracked or broken eggs, and it's a good instinct, as it keeps the nest site clean. It's like when a broody hen will eat unfertilized eggs or those that stop progressing in the shell...she's not a cannibal, it's a good trait in a hen for her to keep eat the eggs that are duds. It gives her nutrition and also clears out the nest of these unwanted eggs.

The soft shells and the resulting egg eating has nothing to do with nutrition....just do an experiment. Do nothing....just wait a few weeks and see if it doesn't correct itself naturally. Been doing this for over 40 yrs and never had an egg eater yet. Thousands of chickens of all breeds, ages and sexes and not a single "egg eater" among 'em. It's not luck or coincidence...it's called common sense. They will ALL eat an egg. They are opportunistic feeders. When the opportunity arises in the form of broken eggs, they eat them.

They don't need more protein, nor more calcium, they just need a little time to get back in the swing of things. Trust me, I've tried all that jazz down through the years and have found it takes as long as it takes, no matter what you try.

You might also look into egg predators, like rats. This time of year is also the time of year most report egg predation from that source, as it's still winter when food is more scarce for rodents and eggs are just sitting there, waiting to be harvested all day long...the scent of broken eggs will turn their attention from dropped feed to the good protein in those nests. Sometimes a rat will eat an egg in the coop and sometimes they carry them off.

I'd just wait awhile and see what happens, CC.

 

[Mini Horses]

It's official. Two hens insisted on setting early Fall. They ended with ONE chick each They are both pullets!!





Plus, some hens are beginning to lay again. About 5 are regular now but, the egg shells tell me others are starting. There's a nice reason to enjoy those different colors.

 

[Mini Horses]

They are great layers...due to the leghorn in them? Sadly, they "lay themselves to death". Supposedly good for 2 years but, I just lost my last of 6 this year. She was 4 1/2. Others left last year and year before. So, definitely not the lifespan of some. They were very non aggressive birds.

 

[frustratedearthmother]

Ordered some red sex links, barred hollands, and some jersey giants.

Love Barred Hollands! Had some for years, but am down to one hen and one barred (but crossbreed) looking Roo. I almost ordered some more when I ordered chicks a couple days ago but they weren't available until mid-Feb. Who knows - I might make another order then!!

 

[Mini Horses]

I really prefer a good breeder bird. Now, there's good & bad, I know but, a good breeder will develop a good bird. It does cost a little more up front but, worth it to me. There is a good contingent of "show bird" breeders about 1 hrs from me. Several shows in that area and near big showgrounds.

 

[frustratedearthmother]

When we showed birds at the fairs we always had to have an inspector come out and do a blood test on all the birds. It was free and they would come out every year and do it on a schedule. Then the guy retired and we weren't on the schedule anymore - and that's fine with me. I don't think what we did was NPIP certification - just blood testing I guess... I should know this but it was decades ago.

 

[Lazy Gardener]

I started supplemental lighting in Nov. Am now getting 50% production from a flock that is 50% pullets hatched in June and July, and 50% 1 - 2 year old hens. Without the extra light, I'd likely not see a single egg until mid Feb.