New chicken mom here. We feed 20%purina layer pellets: scratch, about a pint twice a day. Couple handfuls of freshly mowed grass a day. Fruit and veggie pulp every other day...always have grit and oyster shell available....it's daylight for 13 hours a day....any advice? Three nesting boxes....fully enclosed area with over 500 square feet. They were laying 11 two weeks ago. One went broody. We fixed it. Hen #18 turned out to be a Roo.....
Generally speaking your average should be 2 eggs for every 3 hens. So in your case 11. This is an average over a length of time. Different things will effect this. Weather changes ect. Your broody also may take a week or two to kick back in. I had a plastic water crack and drain all the water out while I was at work one time. It was about 90 degrees that day and it took the hens four days to kick back in. What breed are they? If you have a broody I would say they are not hybrid layers so 9+ would be good.
Thanks for answering....I have 2 buff oringtons (1 was the broody one)...3 silver laced black ones...2 black stars...7 auracanas...1 Roo and 1 hen were a buff/auracanas mix...2 red stars. They belonged to a lady that had to move across country. All but one and the Roo are about one year olds. The wee ones are four to five months....the Roos started crowing last week, and he is just learning about fortification. I live in newport Oregon, so it's 60ish. Before the one went broody they were laying 11 a day. The only change I have made is not giving quite so much scratch.....never sure how much since it is compared to candy.
