I believe happy chickens lay more eggs. I have 5 hens that are laying now (20 that will be old enough to lay in the next 2 months). I get an average of 4 eggs a day, easily 2 dozen a week. Here is my advice for happy chickens:
Hope this helps some,
Tracy in Indiana
- spend time with them, even holding them sometimes (my girls think I am the head rooster and run to me when I go to the chicken yard, even sometimes presenting themselves to me
- we keep a kettle on the counter and put all our "good" scraps in it. twice a day I take that out to them. there is a quite a flurry of happiness when they see me coming.
- have alot of places to roost. it gives them comfort and helps them keep clean.
- don't forget to talk to them. I praise every time I get an egg, yes it is weird, but it works.
- if you have a garden give all your bad (no mold) vegs to the birds. we just toss them over the fence. tomatoes are the favorite.
- we feed: multi-flock (I have 10 ducks in with my chickens), layer crumbles in the hen house, cracked corn mixed with flax seed and oyster shell spread on the ground.
- clean water to drink, in two or three places.
Hope this helps some,
Tracy in Indiana