Protein treats

[meggers38]

My chickens aren't laying. I have been giving them meal worms burlt need to save money so I am switching to something else. They are not happy and are on strike. Lol. I'm switching to beans. How often should I give them to my girls to improve their laying?

 

[PrettyBirdRocky]

What is their feed? Generally, less treats are better for them.

 

[meggers38]

I give them each 1/2C of food each day and any veggie scraps we have.

 

[rosemarythyme]

Age of birds?

Better off free feeding them and letting them regulate how much they want to eat, unless there's a reason you're restricting their feed.

 

[meggers38]

I just meant that I do enough feed to make sure they at least get half a cup each. I'm sure they get more than that, but I'm just stating that they get enough. They are two and a half to three years old each.

 

[rosemarythyme]

Assuming you're in the northern hemisphere have you seen any signs of molt beginning? Not unusual for 2-3 year old layers to start tapering off at this point even if they haven't already started losing feathers.

 

[Sally PB]

I'm switching to beans.

What kind of beans? If they're a dry bean, cook them first. Uncooked, they can be poisonous to chickens.

 

[Synthlady]

Hello,
I have heard of chicken keepers claiming to have success with cooked navy beans.

There could be many reasons why your hens are not laying other than feed. It could be the weather (too hot, too cold), molting season, a constant scare, parasites, or perhaps they find their laying boxes not to be comfortable/private enough. Replacing their box bedding and placing a fake egg may encourage egg production. Also, do your hens free range? From my experience, if I do not find eggs for more than four days, I have to go for an egg hunt in their free range area. They sometimes lay in a secret spot that you need to discover.

 

[meggers38]

What kind of beans? If they're a dry bean, cook them first. Uncooked, they can be poisonous to chickens.

 

[meggers38]

They are definitely cooked. They are black beans.