How Many Eggs Did You Get Today?

[FarmerGirl101]

The Scratch & Peck feed is called "mash" but it's dry feed, not wet. Kind of a misleading name!

Oh, that makes sense. Is the feed served in crumble form or pellets?
Also, check the mill-by or mill date that it was milled on. Is it recent?

 

[Jenbirdee]

3 ducky eggs

 

[EmmaDonovan]

 

[Ponypoor]

It's hard to gauge how much we should supply in plants and grubs to make up for what they're missing in the desert. If they were foraging in a grassy field or backyard they'd just eat the bugs and plants they need. We don't have any topsoil so this sand is what they're on all day.

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Plenty of natural grit and dust baths, though!

They seem to inhale the layer mash but it's always available. We've been giving them some salmon to help them through their molt. Of course they act like they're starving any time we walk near the pens.

My two new baby silkie chicks just eat like horses! And they love the layer mash I make, over their chick starter the brats! And they know what mealworms are and I just about lose a finger giving them treats - not shy those two! Might need a bra on them….

Today I got 14 eggs, I was bored and cold so hung out in the feedroom/office and organized the eggs from the past couple days.

Ya…. I need a life

 

[BigBlueHen53]

feed Scratch & Peck organic layer mash plus plants like wheatgrass that we grow for them since there are no plants to forage (desert), grubs, sprouted seeds, and various treats.

What's the protein % on that layer feed? It's usually about 16%. You might switch them to all flock with a 20% protein. And cut out the treats so they don't fill up on those and not eat enough of the feed.

shoot a BB gun near it (definitely not intending to kill it), to scare them away.

Even that kind of harassment is illegal though.

 

[BigBlueHen53]

And they love the layer mash I make,

You make layer mash for the babies? Does it have calcium in it?

 

[Ponypoor]

The Scratch & Peck feed is called "mash" but it's dry feed, not wet. Kind of a misleading name!

On chilly mornings sometimes I give them a wet mash which is a mix of their regular feed with warm oatmeal and pumpkin plus some blueberries. It's gone in minutes so there's no time for it to go bad.

I make a hot mash (wet feed) using their layer pellets and a 32% supplement with extra calcium - it’s usually gone by day’s end here.

I still get brittle eggs, but am now supplementing with a Calcium and Vitamin D additive to their water a couple times a week. Very little sun here now in the winter to extra D is needed to assist with the calcium absorption.

I am hoping that my silkie’s eggs stop being brittle, and I have a couple other hens too, haven’t seen brittle ones in a few days so either they have stopped laying for winter, or the D is helping.

 

[BigBlueHen53]

I make a hot mash (wet feed) using their layer pellets and a 32% supplement with extra calcium - it’s usually gone by day’s end here.

I still get brittle eggs, but am now supplementing with a Calcium and Vitamin D additive to their water a couple times a week. Very little sun here now in the winter to extra D is needed to assist with the calcium absorption.

I am hoping that my silkie’s eggs stop being brittle, and I have a couple other hens too, haven’t seen brittle ones in a few days so either they have stopped laying for winter, or the D is helping.

Too much calcium for non-laying birds can mess up their kidneys. Roosters shouldn't have layer feed, nor retired hens or birds that are molting. This is why I've gone to all-flock and keep oyster shell on the side in a separate container. The laying hens help themselves, the non-layers ignore it. I learned this from the Educators here.

 

[BigBlueHen53]

If you know which layers are giving you brittle eggs, you can give them a Calcium Citrate +D3 capsule directly in the beak every day for about a week and that should help. Get it at any store that carries vitamins and supplements.

 

[BigBlueHen53]

Citracal or its generic version.