Food when not laying

[ladyhand]

I’ve got four sapphire gem hens, about 16 months old. Egg production has slowed significantly, with my girl who lays ridiculously large eggs stopping altogether. I’ve noticed feathers around the run but nothing crazy. I’ve read that they’ll slow or stop egg production with shorter daylight hours. I want to respect their bodies’ natural rhythm and instinct while providing proper nutrition. If they stop laying do I switch to a different feed?

Does losing a few feathers mean I need to switch to a high protein feed now or wait until there’s far more molt?

If I switch their food, how do I feed if some are still laying (assuming they still need the laying feed for calcium) and the others aren’t?

 

[_-Captain BRM-_]

They are molting, so eggs will slow down as their body puts that nutrients to regrowing feathers!

 

[crazychickenman007]

I’ve got four sapphire gem hens, about 16 months old. Egg production has slowed significantly, with my girl who lays ridiculously large eggs stopping altogether. I’ve noticed feathers around the run but nothing crazy. I’ve read that they’ll slow or stop egg production with shorter daylight hours. I want to respect their bodies’ natural rhythm and instinct while providing proper nutrition. If they stop laying do I switch to a different feed?

Does losing a few feathers mean I need to switch to a high protein feed now or wait until there’s far more molt?

If I switch their food, how do I feed if some are still laying (assuming they still need the laying feed for calcium) and the others aren’t?

What type of food are they getting now? I’m assuming layer feed from reading your post

 

[rosemarythyme]

If they're on layer feed, you could switch to all flock or grower while they're not laying, as they won't need the extra calcium and could benefit from the increase in protein (for feather growth) generally found in the other types of feed.

 

[ladyhand]

They’re currently on layer feed. Thanks for the info

 

[NatJ]

If I switch their food, how do I feed if some are still laying (assuming they still need the laying feed for calcium) and the others aren’t?

You can provide a separate calcium source, such as a dish of oyster shell. That way each hen can get the right amount of calcium for her own needs. Most chickens are pretty good at self-regulating calcium.