how long does it take to lay an egg?

[StormyMoon]

I hope everyone remembers too many treats will also cause a chicken to stop laying eggs.

 

[badnek]

why do to many treats make the hen stop laying eggs??

 

[StormyMoon]

Its kind of like us human females , if we gain too much weight it throws our hormons off.

It throws a chickens balance off even too little food can do the same, It stresses them out.

You have to find a balance for example I have 20 something hens I only throw out 3 scoops every morning of laying pellets. The rest of the day they free range. Only once a week or once every 2 weeks we give them left over veggies or spoiling fruits like bruised bananas , bruised apples and grapes.

But not every single day cause they have to keep fit

 

[badnek]

oh realy did not know that tnx for telling me i think i spoil my chickens alittle to much sometimes..

 

[StormyMoon]

Your welcome, it also depends on how big or how small your breed is, and how you house them.

If they are allowed to free range all day till sun set then they will collect enough food and bugs to keep them going.
I just give them 3 cups a day of the laying pellets for extra calcium that they might not find during the day.

You will find people who keep feeders full 24/7 so their chickens can eat till full.

But usually they are locked up in a coop/run most the day too.

Everyone is different you just do what works for you if what your doing is not stressing them out then that is what is right for your chickens but watch closely they will let you know when they are off balance cause you will see your egg production go down when its off and up when its right on spot

 

[chookhead]

i had a hen eat tooo much watermelon and go into diabetic shock lol she sat on the nest not able to move or anything i thought she was broody then the next morning she got up and was fine and btw its probably a dangerous combination of both because oats for humans are low gi but for chickens because they are so small it maybe hi gi

 

[Druidess]

Quote:
I didn't know this either. We supplement their feed and free-ranging with scraps when we have them left over from things like making a salad. My husband used to feed them sweetened treats like sugary cereals, but now we don't have any of those so he can't. Occasionally we feed extra treats like a few berries or a banana. I'll have to tell him to cut down on the banana until we have more hens so each eats less.

I wondered about the time they sit to lay as well because I have one who seems to get broody but doesn't seem to lay. To top it off, now they've started eating the eggs and we're getting even less, and I think it's because one thin-shelled egg broke and taught them there was good-tasting food in there. Now I'm working to break this bad habit, and checking more frequently for eggs.

They were so easy until the past couple of months! We regularly got 2-3 eggs a day, sometimes 4 (we have 4 Buff Orpingtons) and all was well. The heat this summer apparently threw things very off balance, and I'm hoping that with the onset of fall we see a return to normalcy...and egg production. This has been their first full season, as we got them last year, and now we've got some new peeps on the way...Barred Rocks to diversify the flock. They should be laying starting in the spring.

Thank you, everyone, for all of the good information! Newbies like me appreciate having experienced chicken owners to help us learn how to do this best.

 

[gryeyes]

Stress throws them off laying, as does excessive heat (for many breeds). And they don't lay much - if at all! - when they are molting. (Feathers are 80 percent or more protein, so it takes a lot of energy and protein to grow new feathers. If their feed has not been supplemented with more protein when they are molting, chances are they won't be able to lay eggs whilst they are re-growing new clothes.

 

[Druidess]

Stress throws them off laying, as does excessive heat (for many breeds). And they don't lay much - if at all! - when they are molting. (Feathers are 80 percent or more protein, so it takes a lot of energy and protein to grow new feathers. If their feed has not been supplemented with more protein when they are molting, chances are they won't be able to lay eggs whilst they are re-growing new clothes.

Aha!! Thank you, that explains our suddenly very low egg production since our girls are molting right now. It's been a rough year for eggs with the heat and now molting season. We're getting extra peeps now so that we don't need to buy any more eggs, guaranteed, once they start laying...and they should start during prime laying season.

 

[koko5]

Hi Pat,, am living in Wexford also,, they don't need sugar ,, or salt added to their diet,,, we feed ours cooked rice, porridge, seedless grapes, apples, pears and bananas, all fruit diced up small and the seeds taken out,, and they love red peppers too, noticed they seem to go for anything red,, i have added lettuce and cabbage diced up raw too,, and every morning they get layers pellets and a small bit of rolled barley and screenings , we are using a brand called fancy feeds at the moment sourced in George Kehoes, on the Shannon Hill , Enniscorthy, as there is no G.M. soy products in it,,

Good luck with your chickens and eggs,, it is well worth it and the taste is unreal compared to the shop ones,

Regards
Kathy