feeding Chickens Black pepper

[daddy_roo]

I was talking to my mom yesterday morning and she was telling me that her grandmother used to give the chickens black pepper when the egss started slowing down. Now keep in mind this was back around the 20-30's. So I got to thinking what would it do to my chickens if I fed them black pepper. So insetead of just throwing pepper on the ground, I decided to give them a treat"Laced" with black pepper. So I gave them a big mixing bowl full of pop corn. In the pop corn I had a bunch of black pepper. I gave it to them and they loved it. almost like they didnt even notice the black pepper. Out of sarcasim, i told my MIL that I would get 5 eggs tommorrow. and laughed. we have not got 5 eggs in one day since later summer. So I get up this morning and go to the coop and she came with me. the chickens had drank about 2 gallons of water since the last time I was in the coop, and amazingly enough, we had 5 eggs. Now is this some sort of coinki dink, or am I accually on to something? I dnow the pepper made them drink more water, but pepper for laying eggs?

 

[OldGuy43]

Can't speak for black pepper, but cayenne seems to.

 

[ChickenMack]

Oh man, I have had only two eggs in two weeks- I am going out right now with a handful of black peppercorns.

 

[flowerlover]

I don't know about black pepper,but a few weeks ago I mixed cayenne in with the laying mash,and I went from 2-3 eggs to 6-7.So I am covinced that the cayenne works.They don't have capsasion receptors,so it does not burn them,and it doesn't affect the taste of the eggs.

 

[daddy_roo]

well I gave them another round of Pepper Laced popcorn yesterday about 1 which is about the same time as the day before. I will definately let yall know how many I get in the morning when I gather eggs. Hopefully I get 6 tomorrow.. lol

 

[daddy_roo]

Well today is Day 2 of the black pepper experiment and I did not get all 5 eggs at once like I did yesterday, but I got 3 at 0830 1 at noon, and another in the nest now doing the egg song. so hopefully she lays by tonight and I will get my 5. Kinda missed my 6 mark, but it is still up from what I was getting. The experiment will continue though I will tell you this.

 

[BellevueOmlet]

I fed mine a leftover jalepano along side a zucchini and they gobbled down the zucchini and just gave me the stink eye about the jalepeno.

 

[OldGuy43]

Quote:
Sorry, but I just can't resist:

So your hoping that your goats get worms next winter? Hopefully, you have a sense of humor since I truly meant this as a joke.

 

[geoff40]

My birds are getting their peas this morning with black pepper. I want to see what happens. I find in general that "old wives tales" are often worth paying attention to.

 

[daddy_roo]

OK people sorry for the lack of the update lately, things have been kinda hectic at my house. I have been continueing the pepper with my chickens and believe it or not I got 6 eggs today. 4 at 9 am, 1 at noon, and and another one at 1:45pm. I went to check out the hens before I went to work because they were awefull noisy. I am begining to believe that The pepper is causing them to drink a lot more water. And this increase in water is what is increasong my egg production. I have a 3.5 gallon waterer. I usually fill it up every 3 days. when I started this pepper expiriment, I could of left it on the same pattern but It would of been pushing it, so I began to fill it every day. I placed a few news papers under the waterer to make sure it was not just leaking out. Around the outside of the "bowl" there was water spots and the normal shrinking that a paper that has been wet will do. but in the middle directly under the waterer was dry and smoothe like it should of been. So I figure no leaks. They are drinking more water, and in turn giving more eggs in return.