Our first egg!!!

[cherrynberry]

I feed them commercial scratch for the most part and they get an occasional handful of dried crickets, grasshoppers and fly larvae and leftover veggies such as corn, peas etc. I bought oyster shell/coral calcium in a bag months ago to have for egg laying. Is it best to mix it with the scratch or free feed it? And Im thinking now is the time to start it.

Put the OS in a seperate container, don't mix it. And yes, it should be provided 24/7.

By scratch, you do mean pellets or crumble, right? Not just cracked corn and seeds, I hope.

 

[Granny23]

Put the OS in a seperate container, don't mix it. And yes, it should be provided 24/7.

By scratch, you do mean pellets or crumble, right? Not just cracked corn and seeds, I hope.

It is not pellets..its a commercial kind recommended by the feed store where I got the hens. It is not a laying blend although they do carry it. Should I give them the calcium and whats left of the scratch and then switch them all to the layer food?

 

[Granny23]

It is not pellets..its a commercial kind recommended by the feed store where I got the hens. It is not a laying blend although they do carry it. Should I give them the calcium and whats left of the scratch and then switch them all to the layer food?

This is the commercial scratch I feed.

 

[Sammster]

Congratulations!!

 

[MochaLatte]

This is the commercial scratch I feed.

That is great scratch to keep and use as treats for the girls. However, too much of this on a daily basis can lead to unhealthy hens.

You will want to put them on a balanced crumble or pellet like All Flock (it has 20% protein and a proper daily mix of vitamins for them).

Offer oyster shell on the side so they can take it whenever they need it for strong shells - they are smart like that!

P.S. Your flock is absolutely beautiful.

 

[cherrynberry]

This is the commercial scratch I feed.

Unfortunately, this is going to cause a LOT of issues in the long run. Trust me, as I have done the same before. This is literal scratch and nothing else. Scratch actually does not have a lot of protein or the needed vitamins. Chickens need at least 18% protein, in my honest opinion. A nice bag of commercial chicken FEED, not scratch, is going to be good. Some flock raiser or layer feed works too. Scratch is a treat and treats should never surpass 10% of their overall diet. I rarely ever give my birds scratch now. Can't believe the feed store recommended that...


I bet @Kiki has more to say on this topic.

 

[Kiki]

Unfortunately, this is going to cause a LOT of issues in the long run. Trust me, as I have done the same before. This is literal scratch and nothing else. Scratch actually does not have a lot of protein. Chickens need at least 18% protein in my honest opinion. I bet @Kiki has more to say on this topic.

Think of scratch like the candy and cookies of the chicken world diet.

You want to limit junk foods or completely eliminate junk foods.

Do you not have a crumble or pelleted type complete chicken food available in your area?

 

[Granny23]

Think of scratch like the candy and cookies of the chicken world diet.

You want to limit junk foods or completely eliminate junk foods.

Do you not have a crumble or pelleted type complete chicken food available in your area?

You both have me thinking about what I bought. I dumped the whole bag into a container so I can't tell you exactly what I bought. I will make a trip to the store and get something better.
I do have another question.
My barred rock Cookie has now laid 3 eggs in 4 days. As Ive said she isnt 5 mos yet, not for 2 weeks. All 3 are about the same size and color....small and brown. Perfectly shaped.
As an adult in her breed wouldn't they, shouldn't her eggs be bigger?
We heard her talking, loudly, all morning but no egg. My granddaughter had not let them out of the coop because we had a storm come thru. (We're in Southern California) I let them out and as soon as everyone was out of the coop Cookie went into her spot and laid her egg. There are actually 6 nesting boxes. One is in the newer coop and all 4 hens sleep in or on top of that one box. The other ones are in the other part of the coop. Before Pepper our Rooster left they all slept in those boxes. Once he left they started sleeping in that box and won't have anything to do with the other boxes. Sometimes it's 3 on top and one inside or 2 in 2 out. Cookie prefers the left side, inside the box. I put fresh straw in it and she usually scratches it all out! So much for a warm bed!! What do I do when they all start laying??

 

[Kiki]

You both have me thinking about what I bought. I dumped the whole bag into a container so I can't tell you exactly what I bought. I will make a trip to the store and get something better.
I do have another question.
My barred rock Cookie has now laid 3 eggs in 4 days. As Ive said she isnt 5 mos yet, not for 2 weeks. All 3 are about the same size and color....small and brown. Perfectly shaped.
As an adult in her breed wouldn't they, shouldn't her eggs be bigger?
We heard her talking, loudly, all morning but no egg. My granddaughter had not let them out of the coop because we had a storm come thru. (We're in Southern California) I let them out and as soon as everyone was out of the coop Cookie went into her spot and laid her egg. There are actually 6 nesting boxes. One is in the newer coop and all 4 hens sleep in or on top of that one box. The other ones are in the other part of the coop. Before Pepper our Rooster left they all slept in those boxes. Once he left they started sleeping in that box and won't have anything to do with the other boxes. Sometimes it's 3 on top and one inside or 2 in 2 out. Cookie prefers the left side, inside the box. I put fresh straw in it and she usually scratches it all out! So much for a warm bed!! What do I do when they all start laying??

They all should start laying soon... depending on what they eat. Can you figure out what you bought?

 

[STACEYH]

Congratulations on your first eggs. They should sleep on a roosting bar never in a nest. Close off the nesting boxes during the night. You will find they will all lay their eggs in one nest maybe 2.