Compost heaps and chickens

Our four chickens live at the back of the garden in a permanent walk-in run - an ex flowerbed now covered with bark chippings. (They do generally free-range for half the day too as I work at home.) Within this flowerbed we also have our compost bin (one of those wooden slatted affairs), into which we put the straw and chicken poo from their house, as well as the usual vegetable waste etc.

The chickens can jump in and out of the compost heap, but I'm now wondering if this is such a good idea, and whether they aren't more likely to pick up worms from the compost, and other nasties. (I do worm regularly with Flubenvet; and have also started using Stalosan F when I change their bark chippings.)

I'm asking partly because I'm worried about egg production. Of our 4, 2 lay regularly pretty much every day, but of the other two, Buffy (now a 2yr old) hasn't laid since last July, when we introduced two new hens, and although seeming bright and perky, noticeable weighs less than she did. The other, Angel, probably hasn't laid for 2 months now, having previously laid erratically - say 3 a week. She's absolutely not light, and is the most energetic, although occasionally has a dirty bum (which I've just cleaned  - no signs of lice or other nasties, and vent looks OK).

Any thoughts gratefully received. I can't resite the compost heap, but I can close it to the chickens.

Vic

Pellets, and sometimes treats (leftover pasta or rice) but generally only in the afternoon. As a rule, they stay in their run with only their pellets in the morning, then free-range in the afternoon.

You sure they're not laying else where?

Might be an idea to cut out all treats and just let them have the layers pellets and what they can find free ranging in the afternoon Try it for a couple of weeks and see if that works

Sarah