Do hens consume more feed to gear up for laying?

[BethieofVA]

I can not get over how much my four 18wk old pullets are eating! I know they waste quite a bit and there are no signs of any "thing" else eating their feed. I was wondering if they consume more in preparation of egg laying. I supplement alot with table scraps, etc..., but good grief they are plowing through it.

Thanks!!

 

[gallusdomesticus]

I don't know but a good layer will lay up to 240 eggs her first year. Given an average of 4-5lbs of body weight, she'll lay 30 times her body weight in a year. It stands to reason they begin to chow down in preparation for churning out eggs.

 

[BethieofVA]

Thank you for your reply. I was thinking they might be having a "growth spurt" like a kid. LOL!

 

[briteday]

A friend of mine actually made the observation that it seems her pullets eat the most just before they start laying. Then as soon as they start laying the food consumption noticeably decreases.

 

[BethieofVA]

Quote:
I hope that is soooo true, because I want an egg some kinda bad. LOL!

 

[kannna]

You are not alone. Ours are the same age and eating like crazy. Teenage growth spurt?