How early do you let your hens out to free range?

[m3torres]

Is it true that the amount of sunlight determines the amount of egg laying per day per hen? I have 4 Rhode Island reds.

Stress factors:
Winter molting
Added a rooster for the first time.
Had chicken mites for the first time.

I only get one egg if I'm lucky from one dependable hen. I get a second egg every other 2 days or so.

So two are not laying.

Sprayed elector psp twice. Got rid of the rooster. Cleaned out their coop twice. Gave them chicken baths.

Let them out early at 5:30am today. Got two eggs already. Ok woo hoo. I want more.

What else do I do? They are about 2 years old.

 

[BlindLemonChicken]

Change can effect laying. Sometimes all it takes is to move something in their run. Sounds like yours have been through a lot of change. They do need a certain amount of sunlight to make eggs but I’m not sure letting them oit earlier one day and getting an egg that same day is a causal correlation because it takes 24 hours to make an egg. I would just give them some time to adjust to all the changes.

 

[nuthatched]

Diet and age can also affect laying, what's their diet?

 

[m3torres]

Diet and age can also affect laying, what's their diet?

I feed them the premium feed from the Feed Store and a scoop of meal worms when it doesn't rain. Also water with a bit of acv. Then they free range the rest of the day. But I think the mites and the rooster were definitely too much. They layed the whole first year even in the winter and didn't molting much. This past winter they didn't molt much either but we never had a rooster. Had an aggressive naked neck that was rescued, but he passed this January. I'm thinking the cold was too much for him. The hens were ok as long as no drafts got through.

 

[nuthatched]

I feed them the premium feed from the Feed Store and a scoop of meal worms when it doesn't rain. Also water with a bit of acv. Then they free range the rest of the day. But I think the mites and the rooster were definitely too much. They layed the whole first year even in the winter and didn't molting much. This past winter they didn't molt much either but we never had a rooster. Had an aggressive naked neck that was rescued, but he passed this January. I'm thinking the cold was too much for him. The hens were ok as long as no drafts got through.

What is the "premium feed"? What's the protein content?

 

[m3torres]

Good question. I don't know. I'll ask next time. I've been feeding them the same mix since 2017. This is a newer flock since May 2023. I was overflowing with eggs all through that winter, rooster got added as a cockrel in May 2024, got big and handsome, but died suddenly in January 2025. It just laid down and died. Don't know what happened. The hens seemed to still be ok. Egg production probably slowed around molting season.

 

[RojoMarz]

How much is a scoop and how often do they get treats?

 

[m3torres]

How much is a scoop and how often do they get treats?

Two cups is a scoop of meal worms. They get don't get treats every day. Just Friday-Sunday, they may get left overs, fruit. They free range in the yard.

 

[rachellanger]

Mine always go off lay when they are moulting…also the trauma of mites will be a huge factor…I’d up their treats and give them plenty of suitable fruit and veg to get some vitamins in…also corn mix on top of layer’s pellets xxx

 

[redinator]

Two cups is a scoop of meal worms. They get don't get treats every day. Just Friday-Sunday, they may get left overs, fruit. They free range in the yard.

That maybe too much for 4 hens. I was told mealworms are high in fat and should be used sparingly.