[Mrs Tweedy]

Hi all,
We've had Ginger, Maude, Aggie, and Babs, our ex batts for 6wks now, and we're still having trouble with them not laying very well. We get 1egg a day occasionally 2 and have had 3 twice, are we expecting to much, as we know what a horrible life they have come from. They're on Small Holders Ex batt layer pellets all day and have a treat late evening, they have cider vinegar in water and poultry spice in mash a couple of time a week. No red mites at moment. They seem happy, feathers are coming back well, combs are getting more colour by the day. They like being picked up and eat out of your hand.
 I clean the coop out every day is this to often?
 A friend has mention that I have probably sterlized the poor chooks due to cleaning run with  jeyes fluid every other day!  her husband said they probably think they're at vets!  . I do pooh pick every day.
They're so funny, all very individual, but was hoping for maybe just 2 eggs a day as I do alot of cake making, not getting much done at moment to busy watching chooks!  
Have been told I'm officailly a chicken bore now by friends!!
Can anyone give me a clue as to why none or not many eggs?

[themagicaltoad1]

I do think you're overdoing the cleaning bit. We poo pick daily ( which is a doddle), and give the coop and run a major clean out about every 10 days- fortnight. We were doing it more often but it really wasn't needed for 3 hens, mind you our girls do spend a lot of time free ranging. I would cut down on they jeyes, it must be irritating to the chooks, the smell doesn't have a chance to wear off. If they're trying to grow back feathers all their effort will be going into that instead of egg production, try giving them a bit of fish flavoured cat food to help them.

[Mrs Tweedy]

Cheers for advice I'll reduce the use of jeyes fluid see if it helps. Two eggs today so that's cool clever girls! 

[poultrygeist]

I agree with magicaltoad.

The jeyes is a strong cleaner and needs to be given time to 'air' off before they go on it.

Is the run a hard surface ?
They could do with a soft surface to scratch about in.

And I wouldn't have great expectations about the eggs, since they've laid a lot already.
Everything you're doing otherwise sounds perfect, especially the cuddles 

Enjoy them as much as they obviously enjoy you, but let them enjoy the smell of grass and dirt, instead of clean toilets 

Rob

[Mrs Tweedy]

The run is bark and wood, with large tree branch,old tyre, and large plant pot  to perch on,  but the coop is on slabs for easy cleaning!  they free range in afternoons for a few hours, after a morning of filling up on layer pellets, I wouldn't be without them now.

[poultrygeist]

Sounds idyllic.

I think any bacteria or viruses would need a while to build up to any worrying levels so count in weeks rather than days for deep cleaning.
Just a quick sweep would be enough I should think for daily/weekly cleans.

Have you posted photos of them in Chicken Chat ? 
You'll be VERY popular if you do 

Rob

[Chookiechook]

I have had my exbats for four or five weeks now and they are great..... they are fully feathered, but were not that bald to start off with... I think they may have come from a barn rather than a cage though.

I get four eggs from four birds every day   I have only had one day in the last four weeks when I got no eggs.

I am also having to treat them for mycoplasmosis but the treatment ended yesterday, but even this hasnt stopped them.

My other three chooks on the other hand have decided it is time to moult for England and it looks like a fox has had fun, the amount of feathers in the garden is horrific

Anyway..... I am sure this is not what you wanted to hear 

[Jeanette]

I have 6 ex bats and i get 2 eggs a day but when we had a cold day last week i never had any eggs at all. I enjoy baking as well but have told hubby that he has put on a bit of weight so i wont bake as much . My girls have never layed well but for me the eggs are a bonus.

[Flowerpower136]

Lovely, another ex batty person!

I've got 8 and generally get 4-5 eggs a day, which I is fine.  To be honest wouldn't bother me one bit if I had non, as long as they are happy in retirement.

However, this week, already we've had 36   Might be a coincidence, but last weekend we put a roof over the run to keep them dry (they hate getting wet).  Time will tell if it's a fluke or not.

Sounds like you are doing everything just right, though maybe a bit over enthusiastic with the cleaning.  Daily poo pick in coop and run.  Weekly clean/Jeys in the nest box (plastic), and just gone from weekly to fortnightly clean out of the coop. Use spot clean of Jeyes, big spray of Poultry Sheild, then Diaotm, with fresh shavings.