You sure can. You can ferment any feed ration you may have or design. I like the rations that are 50% milled layer and 50% mixed whole grains the best and this is what I normally feed in the winter months to cut costs. It has a better consistency, drains off easily if needed and seems to keep them fuller for longer...more content, somehow, then feeding 100% layer.
This is never a good time of year to cull for laying. I agree that she should have more laying as this is their first year but then...they are BOs and aren't exactly super dooper layer breeds when bought from hatchery stock.
Tell her not to cull any until around March, if this is her chosen breed. By the middle or the end of March all birds who are laying, should be laying. If they are not laying by that time, it is likely they will never be good, consistent layers and need to be culled.
She might want to explore why she is keeping chickens and then choose breeds that are optimal for that purpose. If it's for a hobby that produces a few eggs for consumption needs, then hatchery BOs may fulfill her needs, though she may not be satisfied with their overall hardiness and production levels.
If it's for eggs and meat as a side effect of extra roos or retired hens, there are better breeds for a first timer to have that will be easier to manage and yield more of what she wants. Could be she will want to order a more likely breed for this when she orders.
I noticed that as well and was completely satisfied that the hens would mature more slowly as well. I know to folks waiting on their first egg slow maturity is agony but it is healthier for the chicken and will keep her in the production flock longer.
Folks get used to a certain way of doing things and they don't want to change anything. It's sufficient for them and that's enough. To me it's like being able to buy premium, high octane gas for my car for the same price as regular. Who in the world wouldn't want the high octane?
But some people don't like change and some folks feel that their methods simply cannot be improved upon. To me, there is always room to learn and improve
any animal husbandry method...I'm always searching for ways to improve what I already do and have, within the bounds of my budget.
Just like something as simple as using ACV in the water some of the time vs. using it all the time...that little move improved my egg's overall taste and clarity and my regular customers commented on it. My eggs were always good enough but that one little move put them over the top for taste and people could tell the difference, though I had not told them to expect a change. I didn't even know it could change things that drastically but was pleasantly surprised at the feedback and with my own impression of the improved flavor of the eggs.
It's those little things and improvements that, costing little money but yielding big rewards, that I love to add to my husbandry.
Some who are set in their ways will never try anything different and so will never see if it could change things...if good is good enough for them, then it just is. Simple enough and it is in their comfort zone...some folks have big difficulty moving out of that comfort zone.
