Chickens not laying

[sbhkma]

I think the OP has left the building.

 

[sbhkma]

I like to feed my girls feather fixer, tuna and green peas for added protein when molting or stressed. Fussy things won't touch cat food either kibble or canned!

QUESTION: Can chickens eat quinoa?

 

[rjohns39]

Short answer is YES

 

[rjohns39]

One of the best sources of feed in TN is just up the road from OP. I don't use him cause it's a three hour drive and then I don't have the equipment to unload it. I ended up going further south only because the salesmen live just up the road from me.

 

[GldnValleyHens]

It tastes good to humans but I read it has a coating that tastes bad to chickens unless washed. Not to argue or anything, just my opinion from
a Paleo-based nutrition on grains. Something about lectins I believe.

 

[smudge]

...
Almost every one of these birds should be laying now. They are free range and eat all day long. I quit feeding layer pellets because it wasn't working. They dynamics of the flock has changed drastically. The hens range all over the place. They rooster no longer is interested in the hens and almost always is by himself. When I throw out scraps, he is now "everyone for him/herself". No longer letting the hens know where to get the best scraps or scratch. In fact, he will peck at them just like the hens do to each other when I feed them.
....

Please clarify what you mean by, "I quit feeding layer pellets because it wasn't working."

Do you mean that you quit feeding them layer pellets because they weren't eating the pellets? Or because they weren't laying eggs?

 

[splash of color]

I also have 3 pullets, leghorns that are 8 months old. February chicks, And I started getting eggs from 2 of the 3 at just about 5 1/2 months. I got 2 eggs a day for 3 weeks then nothing for about 40 days then 1 egg for 3 weeks. And nothing for the last 40 days. I have. I bumped up to a 21 % feed about 20 days ago. I have 1 ISA brown hen that lays all the time even when we hit 121° here in Phx she kept laying. she stopped for 2 weeks in august after I had to rehome the rooster ( she loved him) but is doing great on the 21%. Nice big eggs with great shell. I did notice new pin feathers on one pullet but the other two are not in a hard molt however on all three of them the combs have shrunk and are no longer red they are pink now. They eat great and always have full crops and feathers are shiny. I also have some April pullets, so 6 months but they are heritage and I'm not really expecting eggs from them any time soon. Sooo I'm kinda at a loss to

 

[Beer can]

I've heard adding cayenne pepper powder to the feed stimulates them to lay? So in extreme cases use bhut jolokia aka ghost peppers...?
I've found the whole loss of daylight thing doesn't apply to pullets coming into lay in the fall, for me typically lay all winter with short days and subzero temps.
Hope you find the problem, nothing worse than a bunch off free-loading birds not earning their keep, makes it seem hardly worth it.