Eggs or no eggs

duckie · **Posted:** Wed May 20, 2015 4:54 pm

Hi all, I have 18 hens ages ranging from 18mths to 8 yrs.
Their pedigree is GLW, x AO and some silkie with RIR way back.
I am lucky to get more than 5 eggs a day, and that is on a good day.
Lately I have been getting soft shelled eggs and yes I give them shell grit.
I have recently added meat meal with their grain.
I feed them Barostoc Premium Layer Mash which is 16% protein.
They get lots of greens of all kinds every day.
My only problem is I cannot let their food hang for total access because of the geese and whistler ducks raiding it.
I lock the geese out if I can and have to hunt the whistlers off as they are enmasse right now.
The chooks get their grain morning and afternoon.
Would it help if I got a bag of grain with mollasses in it to mix with the above mentioned lot?
Is there something I am not doing right? besides not being able to give them all day access to their food.
I thank responses in advance and for any feedback.

Berrigan · **Posted:** Fri May 22, 2015 8:59 pm

Fi have a similar problem with a mix of girls all purebred 4 eggs from 13 chooks and it begins in February when the heavier girls start moulting . 5 months a year not laying seems a bit much even if they last for years. They get all the treats and have now finished moulting but if past performance is an indication they won't lay for a while yet. The leghorn ...white ..is the best layer but shells are soft. No reason for it to be so and she likes to hide them . Very frustrating. Should I go back to isa
Browns?

Cackles · **Posted:** Fri May 22, 2015 8:59 pm

They love mollasses and its so good for them and the eggs taste

duckie · **Posted:** Sat May 23, 2015 10:41 am

I have had it suggested that the soft shell could be from my older hens.
Yesterday I actually got an egg with no shell.
This is all foreign to my girls. I am getting weak shells which break in the nest when another hen goes in to lay.
All my eggs in the past have been good in quality. I don't know what is going wrong. A lot are small as well and I only have 4 silky two of which are crosses. The rest of the hens are medium to largeish and should lay a good size egg.
I was getting good size eggs about 2 months ago. Now all small. :shock:

duckie · **Posted:** Sun Jun 07, 2015 11:58 am

Hi all I will apologise for waffling in advance, as I am nonplussed in why I can't get eggs.
I have changed my chook food to see if that makes a difference.
Sometimes when I change the food it seems to give them a kick start to laying even if for a while.
I now give them:
grain with some pellets and mollases. Sorry I can't remember the brand.
heaps of greens every day.
I am also giving meat meal in their food
No difference to the laying.
I am cooking the egg shells in the microwave and crushing them to feed them back to the chooks.
This is because of the soft or weak shells. The oyster shell doesn't make a difference.
I have had the laying problems for some time. Just over a year ago I was getting about 9 to 12 eggs a day.
As I mentioned, I have 18 hens of which 2 are retired due to old age and don't lay.

I keep the geese away from the chook feed in the mornings and at night so that they can get more food.The geese push the chooks out and take all the seed in the hopper if I don't.
I was considering changing all my hens to another breed, but all these have been born and bred here with me and I am rather attached to them. The last time I sold any hens I mistakenly sold 3 of my best layers and noticed the drop in production immediately.
I was not happy.
What else can I do to increase the egg production, please if anyone has any ideas I will try anything that has been proven.

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