Feeding more greens maybe ?

[jprinc44]

I got my birds the 14th of April and they started laying around the first week of October. I have white rocks, barred rocks, partridge rocks, and light brahmas. Out of 23 young hens, and 4 older ones, I am getting anywhere from 14 to 23 eggs per day. I also have an americauna hen who was born in June who has started laying this past week. I was feeding starter feed until they were 16 weeks, then switched to the layer feed with scratch added.

 

[WoodlandWoman]

I would try limiting all the additional foods for a little while and mainly feed the layer pellets. Just see how it goes for a few weeks.

It's not that any of the foods you are feeding are bad, they just aren't balanced or complete on their own or in the combination you're feeding them. If you're only feeding a little bit of them, that may not be your problem. If the combination of all of them is adding up to a fair amount of calories, it could be.

The rice bran is a lower protein level than their layer feed and also isn't a complete protein. Grains, including corn, don't have all the amino acids in them that a chicken needs, like animal proteins do. They need to be combined with legumes, to be more useful. Even then, methionine is still usually low.

If it's not diet or lighting, then I don't know what it is. You've already added lighting. Maybe if you go with mainly layer, plus continue the new lighting, you'll see some different results in a few weeks. I know you're trying really hard to give them everything they need. I can only imagine how frustrating it is for you, to still be waiting for egg production to improve. Hang in there.

 

[cajunlizz]

Let me Clarify a few things .
#1 . I have been feeding straight Purena laying pellets for months . Very little treats at all .


# 2 . Its just been the last couple of weeks we bought this Rice bran .


#3. I am still feeding the same amount of pellets I have always feed .

# 4. I may give couple of lbs. of this Rice Bran a week .


Majority of my flock was born in April of 2008 .... I have about 100 - 110 HEAD ...... I am maybe picking up 4 - 6 eggs a day . I recently added additional light in coop to add to hours . SO , I am hoping this might help .
I even removed 1 of the roosters that I think may had been disrupting the hens and keeping them stressed.

So , its going to be a wait and see game .


ohhhhhh great news , DH and a friend just went out to one of the coops and came in with 6 eggs . they did not check in other coop YET . and usually my hens lay later during the day . ITS only 2:00 PM . maybe things are starting to work .

e

 

[patandchickens]

The thing with the rice bran is, they're eating it *instead of* their regular food. (Unless they were goin' hungry before, with not enough food, which I am sure is not the case)

When you 'dilute' 18%-protein feed with some amount of 12%-protein feed, you are DECREASING their protein intake.

I'm not saying that increasing protein is necessarily going to help, and I'm not saying rice bran may not help in some undefined way.... I'm just saying, what you're doing is *not* increasing protein, quite the opposite.


Pat