Hot Grease Bath Avoided!!!!

[sellersgang]

FINALLY!!! We got an egg from one our our young ones. It had a very thin shell on it tho and the next day was the same way. I had a talk with the girls just last week about a hot grease bath so I guess one of them was listening. Still not sure which one tho. Doesnt matter i guess since one is starting to carry its weight!!

We have 13 chickens that are all 22 - 24 wks old. Should I now switch them all to laying pellets or crumbles? They have all been on chick starter crumbles.

 

[lesliet]

Wow, I am glad they listened to you. My 2 Brown Leghorns just laughed at me. they are 24 weeks old and still no eggs.

Yea you need to switch to the laying formula, it will help with the soft shells

 

[sellersgang]

Maybe we bout to have an egg explosion.. lol At lunch all of the ones not laying were in the coop looking up at the nest boxes!!! One of my older girls had just laid one so maybe the rest of them took good notes.

 

[hatchaholic]

Can you talk to my girls? They are not listening to me either!!

20 weeks today and still no eggs....They all do stare at the nesting boxes, but I think that is just to tease me...

 

[Ugly Cowboy]

Pellets seems to be less wasted, crumbles tend to get everywhere then get poo'ed on before they can be ate.

 

[mirjam]

Definately get them started on layer feed right away. Chick starter is meant for the little balls of fluff and does not have the proper breakdown of nutrients for pullets that start laying. (They really should have been on grower rations for a while from about 8 to 18 weeks of age. That stuff is sort of an intermediate nutrition that meets the need of a developing pullet.)
Anyway, this explains the thin shell. Chick starter has very little calcium content. To help the girls to get all the calcium they need you might want supplement with oyster shell, ideally free choice and in a seperate dish from the food, generally available at feed stores.

 

[sellersgang]

Hey Kim.. maybe i can send u a recording for you girls!!! lololol

This feeding business gets ccoonnnffuusssiinnggg... lol I thought I was supposed to keep them on starter stuff till the first egg. oh well.. layer stuff it is from now on!!!

 

[hatchaholic]

Quote:
Give it another week, then I may take you up on the offer!! LOL.

Maybe I should just bring the Frydaddy out to the barn, just for some incentive. Ha!