Companion Hens - What do I feed them?

[Poppy123]

i have rescued hens that i do not use for meat or eggs. they were on layer pellets, however since i don’t need the eggs i switched them to cracked corn, full veggies and veggies scraps so as not to put uneccesary stress on their systems. A few weeks after the switch i noticed that one of my girls is losing feathers around her neck. She also had an extremely pale comb one day but the next day it was bright red again. Another of my 4 is starting to show similar symptoms, her feathers aren’t falling out completely but they are definitely looking abnormally shaggy and dull. could this be from the sudden diet change? and if so, is there some kind of more nutritious feed that i could give them that does not promote egg laying?

Am I wrong in thinking that putting them back on the layer pellets is putting unnecessary stress on their systems? are layer pellets bad for the hens in any way? they were laying about 20 eggs in a single weekend almost! which i know is far more than 4 hens could produce naturally. i thought the corn and veggies plus free roaming would be more than enough nutrition and they were fine for a while after the switch...Could something else be wrong with them? i already lost 2 of them to foxes and i would hate to lose more because of something i’m doing wrong!

i heard that sometimes chickens do a mini moult at the beginning of spring or when their diet is changed. i also heard the pale crops and dusty feathers could be a sign of parasites so i’m curious to hear what some of you think!

help please! & thank you in advance!


edit: i have raised many happy, healthy, thriving free range flocks on cracked corn, homemade mash, and lots of vegetables. I understand that layer pellets have all the nutrients they need for consistent LAYING, but laying is not a concern for me and i would rather not shorten the lifespan of my girls if there another product out there that can help supplement some of the things they were used to getting in the layer feed and help wean them off of it.

 

[CannedMonster]

i have rescued hens that i do not use for meat or eggs. they were on layer pellets, however since i don’t need the eggs i switched them to cracked corn and veggies scraps so as not to put uneccesary stress on their systems. A few weeks after the switch i noticed that one of my girls is losing feathers around her neck. She also had an extremely pale comb one day but the next day it was bright red again. Another of my 4 is starting to show similar symptoms, her feathers aren’t falling out completely but they are definitely looking abnormally shaggy and dull. could this be from the sudden diet change? and if so, is there some kind of more nutritious feed that i could give them that does not promote egg laying?

Am I wrong in thinking that putting them back on the layer pellets is putting unnecessary stress on their systems? are layer pellets bad for the hens in any way? they were laying over 20 eggs a week which i know is far more than 4 hens could produce naturally. i thought the corn and veggies plus free roaming would be more than enough nutrition and they were fine for a while after the switch...Could something else be wrong with them? i already lost 2 of them to foxes and i would hate to lose more because of something i’m doing wrong!

i heard that sometimes chickens do a mini moult at the beginning of spring or when their diet is changed. i also heard the pale crops and dusty feathers could be a sign of parasites so i’m curious to hear what some of you think!

help please! & thank you in advance!

Cracked corn and veggie scraps do not have enough nutrients for any chicken- hen or rooster.
You must get a good chicken feed for them.
You can’t stop a chicken from laying an egg anymore than you can stop a human woman from ovulating.
It’s a natural biological process for all females.
You are actually putting more stress on them by not offering them complete nutrition.
I would recommend a good all flock feed with oyster shell offered on the side free choice. They will take as much oyster shell as they need for calcium.
Even layers pellets or crumble is fine also.
Grower feed will also work.
Chicken feed is formulated to meet all their nutritional needs!


Scratch corn is the equivalent of feeding a person French fries all day.
It’s fine as a small treat but only as a treat.
Treats, including scraps should only make up 10% of their diet.

 

[CannedMonster]

Chickens can only lay one egg a day.
More is not possible.
They lay roughly every 26 hours.

 

[DiamondSwan]

Hens still need the nutrition and calcium from a layer feed regardless if you want them for laying or not -- even roosters.

 

[DiamondSwan]

Thanks for the reply! I will look into all flock, i’ve never heard of that type of feed before. I also like the idea of oyster shell on the side, will def be doing that, thanks! I don’t think i was clear in my initial post though. i don’t want to stop egg production, i just want them to produce at a NATURAL rate. the fact that layer feed is made for faster and more lucrative egg production subsequently shortens the hens life span because it is essentially being forced to lay more than it naturally would. So for someone like me, who doesn’t benefit from the eggs it doesn’t make sense to feed my chickens something that gives them way more than what they need. So still, i’m wondering if there’s a neutral feed that doesn’t necessarily speed up egg production but still gives them the nutrients they need to function l and produce a regular/natural number of eggs. perhaps something not formulated specifically for laying but rather overall nutrition? is this what “all flock” is?

i suppose i’m a rare breed in that i don’t eat the eggs or meat so such a product may not exist...but it’s worth asking!

thanks again!

I don't think it forces them to lay more. They naturally lay an egg a day. And if you deprive them of calcium, their bodies will still use any calcium they have in their bodies to produce eggs (which results in an unhealthy hen and soft-shelled eggs).

 

[DiamondSwan]

Thanks for your reply! But see, that’s the thing, they naturally lay an egg a day. my 4 have laid 12 this weekend alone. if they were producing at a natural rate i should have more than 6-8 eggs every two days. 12 men’s some of those babies are laying twice a day or more! i’ve literally never seen chickens lay so many eggs than these 4. So i’m wodnering how else i can get the calcium to them without layer feed. but i have since learned about oyster shells and will definitely be trying them out!

Really? That's strange. I don't think a layer feed would cause that, though. But you definitely wouldn't want to deprive them of calcium if they're laying that much (it would cause some serious health issues). Yes, I would definitly give them oyster shell.

How long have you been feeding them cracked corn? And how long have they been laying like that?

 

[KentuckyRooster]

Use an all flock feed and offer oyster shell in case they need it. They won't get what they need from their current diet.

 

[Ponyfeather]

I would feed a high-quality feed(all flock feed works) with free choice oyster shell also, hens will always produce eggs if they're healthy since we have breed them for it. You can't make them stop laying or back of laying if that is what their body wants. They simply drop off in production in egg laying depending on breed, age and season. As other said their bodies will suffer if you don't give them what they need.

If you really want to spoil them buy a high-quality feed one the avoids corn and soy. I would be more worried about the corn and soy than the other parts of the layer feed. I have found my chickens prefer it to the typical feeds since I switched.

With having raised other flocks without obvious issues I think that your other hens free ranged better and scavenged what they needed better. These rescues might be relying on the corn way too much as it is yummy and I am guessing in a feeder which they're use to eating out of. Also, the high egg yield might be the breeds of hens you have rescued.

If you aren't eating all the eggs you can scramble or hard boil them and feed them back to the hens chopped up as a super treat. This would also be a good food to feed those who aren't doing well. But if your girls provide you with eggs eat those not the icky ones from the store.

 

[lazy gardener]

You have received good advice from all. I would also add that by NOT giving them a good balanced feed, they may be forced into molt, or even start feather picking (which it appears has already started) and may even resort to cannibalism. A hen will rob nutrients from her body to continue producing those eggs. Only when her body reserves are completely depleted will she then stop laying. At that time, the hen will be scavenging nutrients from where ever she can get them, including picking feathers and causing wounds on her flock mates. She will also be very prone to disease and parasites, both external and internal.

You can also feed their eggs back to them. If that is not an appealing thought, then find someone who would appreciate having some high quality back yard eggs.

ETA: a hens productivity is based on her genetics, as well as her receiving proper nutrition. While it can be argued that giving the bird less than optimal nutrition would negatively affect her egg productivity, a comparison would be: cutting the calories and nutrition supplied to a large breed puppy in the hopes that the puppy would not then grow as big.