How can I get more eggs

[Santamanhank]

So I have been getting 1 egg for the past two weeks what can I get them that will help boost egg production it can not be too expensive tho

 

[aart]

They are just getting ground up corn from last years harvest

Well, there's the answer then.

 

[LaFleche]

They are just getting ground up corn from last years harvest

No wonder they wont lay eggs. Corn only diet leads to severe nutrient deficiencies resulting even in health issues.

 

[Santamanhank]

Check the label on your feed bag for milling date and percentage of protein and possible mould (strange smell?)
Where exactly are you storing the feed and how much do your chickens and ducks eat every day?

They need about 110-130 grams of feed per bird per day depending on breed, age and body weight.

They are just getting ground up corn from last years harvest

 

[NatJ]

What is wrong with corn?

Just corn is not healthy for a person.
Just corn is not healthy for a chicken either.

Corn and other things can be healthy for a person or a chicken, if the other things are chosen correctly.

For chickens, as a basic starting point, corn does not have enough protein, and is short of several important vitamins and minerals.

If you buy a bag of chicken feed, it will probably include corn as one ingredient, but it has other ingredients that provide the things the corn does not have. This is usually the easiest way to have chickens be healthy and lay eggs: feed them a purchased chicken feed. I would recommend one labeled "chick starter" or "flock raiser" or "all flock." With any of those, provide a separate dish of oyster shell as a calcium source.

Separate the ducks, give chicken feed and wait for spring.

That is what I would recommend, too.


(If there is some reason you can't get chicken feed, I would suggest you look for a good source of meat to give the chickens. That will provide many of the things that corn lacks. For the number of chickens you have, that would take a lot of meat: maybe see if any deer-hunters want to clean out their freezers? But buying chicken feed is usually more cost-effective than buying other things to put with the corn you have.)

 

[ILoveDaffy]

What is wrong with corn?

Nothing is wrong with corn, IF it is in something else, or as an occasional treat in small amounts. Corn does not have really enough nutritional value on it's own. If fed on it's own, it can cause problems. Your hens need calcium as well as a regular layer or all flock feed in order to lay more, as well as light and a low stress environment. As a calcium supplement, I use oyster shell, which you can get quite a bit off for little money. Too much calcium also can harm rooster's kidneys, so it should be fed separately from feed, free choice. And, yes, though you can have ducks and chickens together, it is better to have them separate if at all possible because they have different needs.

 

[sourland]

How old and what breed are the birds? Production should increase as the daylight period increases.

 

[aart]

Were they laying previous to the last 2 weeks?
How long have you had them?

They were laying one egg some days or some days none

...and how long have you had these birds?
If you want help solving this mystery/problem, you really neeed to provide more info.
Oh and, how many chickens?

 

[NatJ]

Corn does not have really any nutritional value on it's own.

I would not put it quite that way. It is a pretty good source of energy (calories), which is part of why it is so common in commercial chicken feed and in homemade feed recipes. Energy (calories) is one of the things needed in a chicken's diet. It's just not the only thing.

If fed on it's own, it can cause problems.

I definitely agree there.

 

[BelovedBirds]

Ok I did give them chicken feed and I stopped three weeks ago since I started getting one egg so I was not spending money on them and not even breaking even

Firstly, swapping their diet around can reduce laying until they adjust. It's best imo to make gradual changes to diet. So stopping the proper feed and just giving them corn isn't going to help, especially since corn isn't adequate.

Secondly I'm not sure if I'm reading this correctly or if this isn't what you meant, so forgive me if I'm incorrect- but are you saying that you stopped feeding them properly due to not getting enough eggs and not wanting to spend money on them? You need to make sure your animals are fed properly regardless of what they're giving you. Is selling eggs a source of income for you? Because if so I can understand your view especially with how pricy animal feed can be. But feeding them just corn isn't going to help. Their health will eventually suffer and you'll get even less eggs.