old time remedies for good egg-laying

[erthymom2]

i use crushed up organic cat food (i buy a small bag from the co-op cause it has less salt and fillers then commercial cat food)at least three times per week mixed in with their crumbles. it gives them a boost, helps with anyone moulting and they gobble it down.

 

[K-Chick]

do you crush up the cat food or just throw it in?

 

[westexcruzer]

Quote:
I think the light did it! Jake

 

[westexcruzer]

justusnak wrote:

...If your hens are not laying..and you are not seeing lice/mites...get a bucket of corn....and add water to just cover the top of the corn. Add one can of red hot pepper. mix it in a little..then let it set overnight. ...Feed it to those chickens...as much as they will eat in one day. Give it about a day or so, and be ready for eggs.....This is called " burning the moult"...
I want to know if this actually works. I have not had very many eggs for months now, I guess they just need a break now and then. Jake

 

[FortWorthChicks]

About the cat food .. I didn't toss but a handful out in their yard and didnt crush it up . Now the corn idea sounds very interesting! But I have a cat and so I just tried it and low and behold the next day three eggs!!

 

[MD Chicken chic]

I did the Calf Manna too, and it worked for me. A couple days later two of my hens started laying every day. I mix it in with their crumbles. The others were moulting, but now that they are finished, I'm getting eggs from them all, including the first Ameraucana egg. A farmer also told me to provide them with oyster shell too. I didn't think I needed to because their shells were very hard, but I did. Maybe that helped too. Dunno.

 

[Chic Chick]

The only secret is to give artificial light so they have at least 14 hours a day, and to make sure they are getting enough protein, which means to cut down on scratch in favor of layer feed.
Another "secret" is to have replacement pullets every year so that they start laying in early fall, about the time the older hens moult....lol A chicken will stay here 2 years max, and they are not pets, even tho they are tame and docile they are livestock, and their purpose is for eggs and meat.
My chickens are cooped up from Dec to April, rarely going outside only on nice sunny days. They don't care for the snow much and our temps for the 4 months usually stay below the freezing mark with lows down to -45C. I still get great egg production in winter, but I do treat mine good. A coop free of draughts, a heat lamp, and plenty of food and warm water, plus house scraps and about 2 cups of catfood a day.

 

[KatyTheChickenLady]

I tried the red pepper in the water all last winter . . . it didn't do a bit of good. I put in a light on a timer 2 weeks ago and started everyone laying so I guess it worked!

 

[Mrs MIA]

If you think about it, the light and extra protein makes sense.
Their laying cycles are triggered by the seasonal light. And at the higher latitudes, where the days are shorter and colder, the girls are putting all their energy into staying warm. The eggs don't just magically appear... they have to be formed from nutrients the hen provides from her body. They are the "excess" so to speak. So, by increasing their protein intake, they are able to stay warm, and have extra reserves to lay eggs. You can use cat food, as mentioned before, or if you live in a fishing area like I do, you can feed them boiled fish... they LOVE LOVE LOVE boiled salmon and halibut, and ours have eaten just about any leftovers/scraps I put out there, including ground bear meat. The combination of extra protein and a light on a timer (I think the consensus on that was 4am to 8pm, minimum 12 hours, but 14-16 is ok too) minus any distractions like overcrowding, too many roosters or mites/lice, added to clean, comfortable surroundings (dry, draft-free...) should be the winning combination to keep chooks laying all winter.

Or, just make sure you hatch a bunch of babies in May/June so they start laying fresh in December...

 

[JLS]

I use two 60 watt lights installed just above the roosts. This not only keeps my ladies "warm" - basically it keeps them from getting frost bite. The temp averages 25F on the roosts while it is near zero outside. As well as keeps them laying strong!! I have 13 ladies and I get between 12-13 eggs per day. I live in Maine that why I keep heavy birds so they can withstand the cold temps.