"HELP PLEASE TELL ME WHAT TO DO WHEN THE CHICKENS ARE NOT LAYING'

[3riverschick]

Hi,
First of all, lose the corn. The classic texts all advise no corn during the laying season. Corn builds fat. Do not feed fattening feeds during laying season. The skin of a female needs to stretch when the internal organs expand when laying season comes. Fat adheres to the inside of the skin. This makes it unelastic and it doesn't stretch like the female needs it too. This makes it harder to lay the eggs. Thus a lower lay rate. Just feed them a 17 percent layer ration. If there is corn in that's ok. Just no extra corn or scratch with corn in it.
If you want to bring your hens into lay, feed them spouted oats. Historically and scientifically, it is the very best grain to sprout if you want to bring your female birds into lay and help create more robust sperm in your male birds. This more robust sperm results in more robust chicks. See the BYC thread
https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/425134/anybody-raise-sprouts-to-feed-the-chickens
and read pages 24 thru 29 for the why and how of this.
Best Regards,
Karen in western PA, USA

 

[lahowardjr]

lovechickens123,
No. You should buy layer pellets and you can add a little corn in every few days as a "snack" per say. Layer pellets have the protein, calcium, vitamins and other nutrients essential for egg production.

 

[LoveChickens123]

thank you all very much now does laying feed cost more than corn??? Hope it don't!!!!

 

[cmoore333]

I find it to be decent priced.. Usually the layer feed i buy is a little more, but I looked and the bag of layer pellets I bought is way bigger then the corn..

 

[lahowardjr]

My layer feed here is the same or a little cheaper. We're talking a dollar (+or-) or so difference.

 

[LoveChickens123]

I find it to be decent priced.. Usually the layer feed i buy is a little more, but I looked and the bag of layer pellets I bought is way bigger then the corn..

Thanks cmoore333 i am going to buy some tomorrow

 

[bruceha2000]

so should i buy pellets and mix it with corn

What all the others said: don't even buy corn. Mix that in with the feed and you will find the feed all over the ground as the chickens go for the "candy". You might know that a LOT of the sugar in processed food is derived from corn. Corn is fed to cattle and pigs to fatten them up, not for their health.

You can buy some scratch for "treats". It will contain some cracked corn but should NOT be more than 10% of their daily food intake. Imagine what is happening to your girls when ALL they are getting is something that is only PART of a "MAX 10%" treat feed.

Maybe you are thinking of the "good old days" pictures with Mom scattering corn for the chickens. Those chickens spent all day outside eating greens and bugs. They also typically got anything left over from food prep in the kitchen. The corn was not a major part of their diet. The same CAN be true today but not in the winter in a lot of places.

Put your money in decent layer feed. I bumped mine from regular Poulin Grains layer feed to their higher protein Layer Plus for the winter since they weren't getting their daily 'ration" of bugs. I'll go back to the regular layer feed in about a month when the bugs come back out. It must be Spring soon, I saw a dozen Canada Geese flying NORTH this morning

Our backyard eggs are already more expensive than store bought egg farm eggs (especially if they don't ever get out to forage and rely 100% on bagged feed). When you are getting few, if any, eggs ALL your money is being spent on unhealthy "yard art" with nothing on the table.

Bruce

 

[LoveChickens123]

Okay i have a new update........We got 2 EGGS yay!!!!! and NO laying feed!!!!

 

[appps]

I hope you don't think that means you can keep feeding them the incorrect diet?

 

[LoveChickens123]

I hope you don't think that means you can keep feeding them the incorrect diet?

i am not going to i am going to go buy feed for them today (laying mash)