How To Make My Hens Lay More? Any Wondeful Ideas?

[Gypsi]

My hens are young, and I haven't been at this long, but when it hit 100 degrees here about 12 days ago, my egg count started to drop down to 4 or 5 a day, from 6 or 7. So. I watered the run thoroughly in the morning, to keep it cooler. Fill their waterer, feed on the ground, a bit of greens for breakfast, pen the birds and let the dogs out.

Instead of leaving the dogs out all day (and chickens trapped in the run), I bring the dogs into the a/c about 2 pm, and turn the hens loose. If the ground is dry under the trees I put my hose end on shower or something and make a cool patch they can visit. I take out some frozen peas around 4 or 5, in the peak of the heat, and collect my eggs. (helps that I am off work afternoons when it is this hot) Pen them up around 6 or 7 when the dogs need back out.

I picked up 7 eggs yesterday afternoon. I have 7 hens. Maybe it is because my hens are less than a year old, but I think being sure they can cool themselves (in the dogs wading pool if they decide to swim) really helps.

Gypsi

 

[Mrs. Fluffy Puffy]

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I don't mean to be rude but you're in the TX Panhandle and don't know what a Jalapeno is?

Yes, it is a pepper, used frequently in Mexican food.

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/4/4d/JalapenoPeppers.JPG/200px-JalapenoPeppers.JPG

They're pretty spicy, though nothing like a habanero .

I know what Jalapen pepers are! I just didn't know how they were spelled!

I eat them all the time!

I'm gonna have to try this! So just get a whole peper and throw it in their waterer?

 

[Catstar68]

Print out this picture and hang it over the nesting boxes.

 

[NevadaRon]

 

[Mrs. Fluffy Puffy]

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[fourgotten]

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Maybe they're thirsty?

Seriously, though, I couldn't answer that... could speculate, but no facts to back it up.

 

[WoodlandWoman]

What are you feeding them? Adding more sunflower seed, good quality foraging areas and non-soy protein can all help chickens feather out better and lay better as they get older. I've seen a difference in mine. If you're only feeding them the standard chicken feed, I'd try to improve their diet.

As you've already realized, molting and extreme heat can effect laying, also. Molting birds need better nutrition, so it's a great time to look at diet. You could also look at all the threads on ways to help birds endure the heat.

 

[Mrs. Fluffy Puffy]

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They Free range 24/7. They are eating Layer Pellets plus scraps about every other day.

 

[GardenWeasel]

My secret weapon is cooked pinto beans and brown rice. I swear every time I do a Mexican feast for the ladies egg production goes up for a day or two. A feast is a lb. of brown rice and 32 oz. of beans for 25 hens. They eat every morsel.

 

[Organics North]

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Maybe they're thirsty?

Seriously, though, I couldn't answer that... could speculate, but no facts to back it up.

I can not back it up either.. But birds do not taste the hot. That is why peppers are hot so only birds eat them and pass the seeds undamaged.

Peppers designed their pods just for birds to enjoy..

Then some of us crazy humans came along and like the peppers too even though we taste the hot. We are also "working for the pepper plant" Because we too help the species propagate and spread.
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Know back to egg laying... When you think they birds look like they are ready.. I boost the protein they get. Meat, fish, worms, bugs, sprouted grains.....
ON