ideas on upping egg production

[JUROBBINS]

hi, i'm new to this whole forum thing and to having chickens. we have 6 hens and 1 young roo. will acquiring an older roo help produce more eggs? 2 hens are a little over a year, 3 are just coming into laying and 1 is about 4 mos. old (same as roo). i am getting 1 lg lgt brwn egg every day and 1 small dk brwn egg about every other evening...but thats it. any ideas? thanks!

 

[d.k]

* Though I have no idea how 'advisable' it is to push egg production, I can tell you that a very little bit of cayenne pepper added to the feed upped my hen's egg production for about 2-3 months. I don't use it anymore because there is just myself & DH to feed eggs to. BTW, Welcome to BYC!!

 

[LynneP]

What are you feeding, and what is your set-up: coop/nest boxes/run/free-range...

 

[JUROBBINS]

thanks for the welcome and the relply. my sister who once raised chickens said that the hens will "do better" if they feel protected so it's best to have a roo. i hadn't heard the pepper idea, would that not affect the taste of eggs, or something. any other ideas out there?

 

[LynneP]

You and I posted at nearly the same time, also meant to ask what kind of hens you have.

 

[JUROBBINS]

oh, i am feeding them cracked corn along with some starter feed, for the younger ones, and they free range during the day until they come in to roost. they also get scraps, like noodles, veggies(no root veggies) and occasionally cookies or cornbread. we have 2 crates they work out, as well as several roosts some seem to prefer. we have a large fenced in area around the coop and we live in the country, they seem to prefer the cornfield during the day and venture up around the house about 3 times throughout the day.

 

[JUROBBINS]

we have 2 banty road island reds (approx 4 mos. old-1 hen, 1 roo), 2 cochins-that i was told had just started laying, 3 other reg sized hens-1 solid black w/blue sheen, 2 that look orange, white and darker tan/brown, the lady wasnt sure what kind these 3 were, but they are approx 1 yr old or so.

 

[d.k]

* No change in taste of eggs with the smallest of doses. I only used maybe 1/2 tsp. Per 5 lb. of feed. I did notice some thinning of the eggshell with the initial increased production, but that gradually went away. 1/2 tsp. to 1O lb. may eliminate that, IDK.

 

[LynneP]

I hope more experienced chicken producers will come in on this, but I suspect that some of your eggs are getting laid while they are out free-ranging, so you need to check for a broody nest outdoors. Also, your older girls need some layer mash, crumbles or pellets. Then when your younger ones get ready, they'll need some too. Corn is a great feed for keeping birds warm, but they probably would benefit from the higher protein of a layer blend.

 

[JUROBBINS]

that is what i would look for when i go to tsc? layer mash or crumbles then? and thank you so much for the info. i hadn't heard the usual cackling during the day while they are out and about-like i do around 9 am (1st egg) and then again in the late afternoon around the time i get the 2nd smaller egg...but i will try my best to search to see if there is a nest out somewhere-they will be getting the corn out w/in the next week so it will be easier then too. any suggestions to keep them from doing that?
again, thanks to all for the input, this has been wonderful-i'm tired of searching chicken sites for all my info

plus, i think my dh is gettin a little clucked out talking about them-but we just love them!