List of egglaying factors

[Christie Rhae]

I confess I only read the 1st and last page so forgive me if this is a repeat..
Regarding egg laying..
If my birds run out of food or water during the day it takes them at least a week to get back on track with egg laying. Running out of food or water (penned birds obviously) is very stressful for them. Any stress at all will upset their egg laying cycle.

 

[popsicle]

lol! Nonsense.
Chickens are scavengers. I feed them chicken all the time. Only when we try to impose our own morels on a chicken does it seem weird.
Consider this...
If cows or horses were locked in a pen and one died... the rest of the animals would starve to death before they ate it. Cows and horses will only eat cow or horse if they are tricked into it by the meat being disguised as grain or other feed.
If a chicken dies...the others will eat it before it hits the ground. lol They are scavengers... they are on this earth to keep the planet clean. They crave protein. Chickens eat chicken in the wild.


Just a side note about the Hawaii-light thing. Believe it or not my hens actually do nearly stop laying December-February. There is a 10 to 20 temp difference from summer to winter but I guess there is just enough light difference for them to notice and they decide to take a break. lol

Regarding my previous post, I edited out that I couldn't find any source stating it was illegal in the USA, but appears to be illegal in the UK along with kitchen scraps (even non-meat). This seems extreme and ridiculous to me. http://www.direct.gov.uk/en/environmentandgreenerliving/smallholders/dg_189309

I used to feed ducks my leftover fried chicken.

 

[Christie Rhae]

A government telling you that you cannot feed chickens your kitchen scraps is about as ridiculous as it being illegal in some neighborhoods to plant a garden instead of grass. Seriously...what is this world coming to?
I find it very silly when I see eggs in the store that proudly state on the carton that the eggs come from chickens that were never fed animal protein.
I just shake my head and think "so they are proud that their chickens are freaks of nature?" lol Chickens are omnivores.
I am worried about everything made of soy these. Too much of something good is not good. It just doesn't seem right. It would never happen in nature.

 

[mommissan]

If a chicken dies...the others will eat it before it hits the ground. lol They are scavengers... they are on this earth to keep the planet clean. They crave protein. Chickens eat chicken in the wild.

Almost completely true. I had a rooster that wasn't feeling well, so the girls stood on him and started feasting. He was far from dead yet.

 

[luckyducky9]

my chickens are terrible egg layers! i get one a day from 5 hens and it was a sudden drop down. i also have 7 other chickens that should be laying by now i think. they are a few weeks away from e\o in age but there is three 4-5 mo. old chickens that i think are hens. they are EE's but i donno wen they are actually supposed to lay eggs .

i really need some tips. the 5 hens that are laying are 2 1\2 years old and i could really use some help ! i am gonna try the vinegar and maybe the bird seed. would thistle work? ya know thistle seed?

please get back to me if you have any other wisdom or ideas! thank you so much!!!!

 

[popsicle]

my chickens are terrible egg layers! i get one a day from 5 hens and it was a sudden drop down. i also have 7 other chickens that should be laying by now i think. they are a few weeks away from e\o in age but there is three 4-5 mo. old chickens that i think are hens. they are EE's but i donno wen they are actually supposed to lay eggs .

i really need some tips. the 5 hens that are laying are 2 1\2 years old and i could really use some help ! i am gonna try the vinegar and maybe the bird seed. would thistle work? ya know thistle seed?

please get back to me if you have any other wisdom or ideas! thank you so much!!!!

I think your main problem is that the birds are 2.5 years old. They will continue to slow down as they age and they might be coming into a molt. What breeds are they and how many eggs did they used to give you?

When did the younger birds arrive, where did they come from, and were they quarantined? Is there a chance your older birds have picked up some parasites from the new birds? Or are just stressed by the change?

I would expect your EE to start laying soon-ish--at or before 6 months for those I think usually. The EE will be good layers once they start, they've frequently been my best birds when I've had them.

The vinegar certainly won't hurt the birds.

 

[michellekelly10]

1-2 tablespoons of Apple Cider Vinegar per 1 gallon of water. Also give your chickens treats such at fresh red cabbage or crickets. I treat my chickens for good egg laying and good behavior!!!

It's illegal, actually.

I feed my chickens hotdogs and popcorn for a treat about twice a week

 

[michellekelly10]

1-2 tablespoons of Apple Cider Vinegar per 1 gallon of water. They go wild for it. Also give your chickens treats such at fresh red cabbage, hotdogs, or crickets . I treat my chickens for good egg laying and good behavior!!! also I feed them laying crumbles for harder shells.

my chickens are terrible egg layers! i get one a day from 5 hens and it was a sudden drop down. i also have 7 other chickens that should be laying by now i think. they are a few weeks away from e\o in age but there is three 4-5 mo. old chickens that i think are hens. they are EE's but i donno wen they are actually supposed to lay eggs .

i really need some tips. the 5 hens that are laying are 2 1\2 years old and i could really use some help ! i am gonna try the vinegar and maybe the bird seed. would thistle work? ya know thistle seed?

please get back to me if you have any other wisdom or ideas! thank you so much!!!!

 

[zsa zsa]

Worm them!

 

[Christie Rhae]

Worm them!

Oh yeah, can't believe I forgot that one. If their combs are not bright and red...they ain't feeling good. If they ain't feeling good it could be too many worms. And they won't lay well.