Hens not laying

by Beth Mitchell
(Athens, tx)

Why since we have let our hens free range their production has dropped?

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Mar 13, 2011
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Where are the Eggs?
by: GranmaKay

You just haven't found the eggs they are laying. The where they want to - not where you want them to lay eggs.

Start searching! Look under things, in things behind things, move things around. I bet you will find a clutch of eggs out there.

If you have a dog or dogs they could be helping themselves to some eggs too.

I find most of the hidden eggs on my farm but am still surprised now and then at some new place the "girls" would lay a some eggs.

So start search'n or get the kids to do it :)

Aug 09, 2010
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Egg Production drop in Free Range Chickens
by: Countryfarm Lifestyles

The drop in egg production for free range chickens can be attributed to a number of factors.

First of all, most chickens lay before 12:00 noon, however, if you let them out of their chicken coops before that, then you may be losing your eggs to hens that are laying them outside in the long grass.

Secondly, if your free range chickens have access to muddy puddles from which they are drinking they could pick up brachyspira. Brachyspira are spiral-shaped bacteria that live in the caecum of the bird's gut and colonise there. This causes frothy, loose stools and a reduction in egg production, and very common in free range chickens. Ultimately, your chickens could die. Fill up any holes where water can collect and rotate the areas where your chickens will range.

Another serious problem that also causes egg drop is caused by thread worms that your free range chickens have picked up which, again, is very common in free range chickens. Add a tablespoon or two of cider vinegar and some chopped garlic to the water to expel and prevent re-infestation.

The other thing is the quality of their food. Because they are now free range chickens doesn't mean that they shouldn't be fed the same amount of feed that they had when they were in permanent pens.

Other factors would be moulting, other diseases, or the age of your poultry which all affect egg production.

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