[LILLILEAF]

Hi
 i have been keeping chickens for over 20yrs now, i have some hybrids that are now 2 yrs old, but for some reason unknown to me there laying this year has been really bad not many eggs at all.
i have wormed them they have been treated for red mite regularly when the weather gets warmer, i clean them out every other day, the nest boxes have lovely clean straw, without saying fresh water every day.
They have been with me since they were 16weeks old, i have other chickens, silkies plymouth rock, ross, and other hybrids, the only thing i can never do is let them out and they are used to this if i did mr fox would have them within the hour,so every day i take the greens to them and they love them.
any ideas?, i cannot afford to keep passengers as feed prices are sky high what do i do??.
 give them away or something else??.LILLILEAF

[New shoot]

Are they eating eggs?  Or laying soft shelled eggs.  They never last long.

I’m not sure you will get anyone to take them as pets but you could try.  I know what you mean about feed prices as well.  I only have 4 birds at the moment and that is pricey enough.

[grinling]

Is it possible to separate them for 2 days, so you can tell if any are laying and if they are eating the eggs.

[snowdrops]

Sorry can’t help with why they’re not laying if you’ve gone through all the usual suspects, could it be that something has frightened them?

[LILLILEAF]

Well we are a few weeks on, we have eggs i have changed there layers ration ,given the fresh crushed garlic in there water, now they have garlic granules in there feed and they love it .
I have cleaned scrubbed and painted the whole place, cleaned out the feed bins etc, they are pampered pets and a lot of them 16.
 I have silkies for broodies hybrids for the eggs, ross for there meat, also 2 young ones hatched by the broody that were by my cornish game cockerel crossed with warren hens, so i have bought no new birds onto the place.
It is a worry with the bird flu about with such bird loss. LILLILEAF

[perris]

Are there any signs of mycoplasma? That can have a big impact on egg production.

[LILLILEAF]

I have checked for micro plasma there are no sign what so ever,i just will give them more time.
failing that they will have to go before winter i cannot afford to feed passengers over the dark unproductive months.
i think feed prices will get even higher so need to think hard about how many i want to keep.Lillileaf