Help my hens stopped laying !

[RIR0BCM]

I have changed their feed but nothing ever happened to the egg production
But you know what ill try to change it again maybe they'll start laying maybe they do need more protein

Thanks !!
i just cant stand store bought eggs I'm lucky my goose started laying this week ...!!

 

[aart]

I have changed their feed but nothing ever happened to the egg production
But you know what ill try to change it again maybe they'll start laying maybe they do need more protein

Thanks !!
i just cant stand store bought eggs I'm lucky my goose started laying this week ...!!

Changing feed is not going to make them start laying immediately, or even soon.
They still have to go thru a molt and older birds might not start laying until sometime after winter solstice.
You can use supplemental lighting for winter laying, but that's no guarantee either.
Real food is seasonal, even eggs.

 

[rebrascora]

Quote: That is so true and something that most people just don't seem to grasp.

I eat mostly chicken in autumn and winter as my main protein source when excess cockerels need harvesting and eggs in the spring and summer when there is a glut of them.

@RIR0BCM
Your chickens may kill and eat rats through the day but at night when the chickens are in the dark and asleep, the rats have the advantage and can get their own back, so don't assume that the rats won't harm or stress chickens.

 

[RIR0BCM]

I guess you are right maybe because we are so used to having all kinds of food all the time we forget that REAL food is seasonal

Although i check the egg boxes twice a day i think there is a possibility that rats may be stealing my eggs after all ...

 

[RIR0BCM]

Update ..

After reading all your comments i bought two bags a feed -a bag of high protein chicken feed and a bag of mixed grians - and i mixed them together


I am also looking for a solar light to hang in my coop since i dont have electricity in the farm... I'm just trying to find the right one ..


Ill update you soon if i see any change

 

[rebrascora]

I was so hoping you were updating this thread to say that they had started laying. My girls are definitely picking up now....I got 7 the other day and 5 today so far. I followed one around the yard the other day and watched as she tried out various nesting boxes and sneaky corners and crevices in various old buildings. I checked each one after she left it only to be disappointed but the next day she laid. Two more of her sisters have also come back on line. You can also see quite clearly which ones in the flock are laying now by the redness of their combs.

Mixing the grains and feed together was not a good idea in my opinion and certainly not in equal amounts. They should be getting no more than 10% whole grains. They will just pick the grains out and waste a lot of the proper feed in the process and will still not get the protein they need. If you want eggs, they need to eat the higher protein feed not the carbohydrates that the grains provide.....that just makes fat chickens that are more prone to reproductive and health problems..... protein helps feathers grow and makes eggs. I'm not sure who recommended mixing equal amounts of grains and compound feed to you or what they were thinking it would achieve.

 

[aart]

Agrees that mixing all the feed and grains together not a great idea.....
......tho could depend on what the protein percentages in both are(what the resultant total protein is) and how it is fed.
If total is about 18% and it's doled out so much each day they should eat all of both grain and feed.


I use 20% feed and have 8% grain mix, kept separate......
.....then adjust how much grain I give depending on what other foods they get that day.
Days they get kitchen/garden scraps, they don't get the grains or not as much of it.
20% feed is available free feed all the time.

 

[RIR0BCM]

Ooops i guess mixing the feed and the grains was a mistake then ...unfortunately i cant do anything about it now i guess ill just offer them more table scraps ??

Is it ok if they get more grains during winter when its cold ? To keep them warm ?

What do you think ?? What should i do ?

 

[junebuggena]

Get another bag of higher protein feed, and feed that as the main ration. Use the stuff you cut with scratch as a calorie boost in the evening.

 

[aart]

Ooops i guess mixing the feed and the grains was a mistake then ...unfortunately i cant do anything about it now i guess ill just offer them more table scraps ??

Is it ok if they get more grains during winter when its cold ? To keep them warm ?

What do you think ?? What should i do ?

What are the protein percentages of both bags?
Hopefully you can still look at the tags sewn into bottom of bags.

Get another bag of higher protein feed, and feed that as the main ration. Use the stuff you cut with scratch as a calorie boost in the evening.

Great idea^^