Don't restrict their feed. They won't overeat chicken feed. They should have feed available at all waking hours. They are ravenous eaters and when hungry, they will eat something whether that be feed, bedding, feces, greens or tree bark. I would rather they eat feed.I feed the 6 of them total, a quart of laying crumbles, plus 1 cup of chicken scratch a day. Is that enough?
They don't need scratch. Layer is usually about 16% crude protein. Scratch is 10% or less. Adding a cup of scratch to a quart of feed will probably drop the protein intake to 14%. That isn't enough for regular ovulation.
At this time of year those birds should be producing like gangbusters.
Cut out the scratch and get a higher protein starter, grower or all flock feed and mix it half and half with your layer or just feed the higher protein feed for a while. Since they aren't laying, they don't need all the calcium in layer.
In fact, you could just feed the higher protein for a while, while providing oyster shell in a separate container.
You should see eggs in a few weeks if they aren't molting by then.
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