chickens, heat and egg production

[ksalvagno]

Did your chickens drop production during the bad heat from this summer? Has their egg production picked back up?

My chickens dramatically dropped egg production to less than half. I was hoping that it would pick back up now that it is cooler but so far it hasn't. Now I'm trying to decide if I want to bother keeping these girls through the winter and feeding them when I'm getting so few eggs. I have 20 girls laying eggs right now with 7 coming up in about 6-8 weeks. Three of those 20 are from this year's "meat" chickens that I decided to keep for egg laying since they were Leghorn/Leghorn cross. Three of my eggs per day are from those new chickens. I don't want to feed 27 chickens if I'm only getting 10-12 eggs per day but I am certainly willing to give them some time to get back their egg production if they need more than a couple weeks of cooler weather to get back in the swing of things.

 

[Javamama]

Mine aren't doing what I expected at all. Layed like crazy through the summer heat. Then when we had that cool spell a couple weeks ago. After the second day most of mine started molting. Production dropped to about half. Then it got really hot again last week and production almost stopped completely. 1 or 2 eggs a day out of 15 hens. I also had one drop dead on the hottest day last week and she wasn't even molting.
I'm trying to decide who to cull. Some are over 2 years old and the rest are 18 months and 14 months. Maybe all but my 4 youngest EE's. The shell quality has been terrible for awhile now, even with plenty of calcium and free ranging.
The ducks should start laying soon so we will be covered through winter, if I decide to keep them. They have been so noisy.
There is still a little time to get chicks and have them in the coop before it gets too cold here so

 

[ksalvagno]

The disappointing thing for me is that these hens are only about 14 months old and I haven't even gotten a full year of eggs out of them. I have one girl that has always had such a soft shell that it is always broken and they get plenty of calcium and they do free range in their pasture. The problem is that I don't have the time to sit in the chicken coop all day for a week and figure out who is laying and who isn't. Just when I think one of them isn't laying, there she is in the nest box and lays an egg. So I don't know if everyone is just really low in production or there are girls that are actually laying no eggs at all.

I went to Meyer Hatchery yesterday to pick up feed and they had their bins of chicks. Of course they were breeds that I would want. That was what got me thinking if I want to just go ahead and cull the hens from last year. But then when I got home, I was thinking maybe I would be better off to order some pullets from Meyer instead of having to raise chicks for 16-20 weeks before I start getting eggs. So I'm really trying to look at everything before I do something.

I wouldn't mind being down in numbers for the winter because I would have at least 10 hens to lay eggs for me that were hatched this year. Then in the spring raise some more. But I do have people who get eggs from me and I'm not sure that only 10 hens will fit the bill since they do have days when they skip egg laying and I'm not sure of the production for the new girls that aren't old enough yet.

 

[Javamama]

The started pullets could be a good way to go since you live close to the hatchery. I'm thinking about driving up there myself. Don't know what I want yet. I know what I don't want
My RIR's from Meyer did really well through their second year. They are the ones I'm ready to cull now. I think their tanks are empty and they just eat way to much to keep around for the infrequent egg.

 

[Javamama]

Karen, what did they have in stock when you went? And do they always have chicks in bins? I don't know their protocol.

 

[ksalvagno]

If I can remember correctly, in the female only bin there were speckled sussex, a couple types of wyandotte, RIR and I think black maran. Then there was a straight run bin with buff orpingtons for sure and I can't remember what else. If you call them, they can tell you. They had signs on the bins to say what was in there.

What is in their bins is what was left over after they fill their orders. When I picked up my blue lace red wyandottes and salmon faverolles chicks, there was a lone ameraucana in their bin so I bought her too. It is hard to go in there and not come home with something. Chicks are too cute.

They keep the chicks in there until they sell out so sometimes they sell quickly and sometimes you can get week old chicks.

 

[Javamama]

I could go for a leftover surprise package

 

[ksalvagno]

I only live about 8 minutes from Meyer. So that is why I go there for my feed and my chickens. I have been very happy with them.

Yes, a leftover surprise would be fun!

 

[Javamama]

That would be so awesome to live so close! I think it would be a problem for me

 

[me&thegals]

Mine dropped from 4.5 dozen to about 2.5-3 dozen. I thought it was older feed, heat or moulting. But, I now think I have an egg eater (or 5). I gathered eggs about 3 times yesterday, since I was at home, and had about 3.5 dozen. Some of our issue is definitely older hens, but that's too bad about yours! Frustrating to pay so much for feed and get so little back.