should i leave eggs in the coop to encourage laying???

[paulfy4]

hello,

i have 14 girls,but only 2 eggs a day on average,i clean the house fully every morning and afternoon,and the girls are well fed and are all happy,i collect eggs as they are layed,but was wondering,should i leave them in the house to encourage them to lay more,or does this not work

any advice would be great

cheers paul

 

[PortageGirl]

well, eggs are layed when eggs are layed, good light, good food, and good surroundings are all you can do, and it sounds like you are.

Golf balls in nests are much better than actual eggs. That won't encourage egg laying though, it will only encourage egg laying IN the place you put the golf balls, i.e. the nest.

 

[paulfy4]

thats great,

thank you for taking the time to reply

cheers paul

 

[DDRanch]

Hi Paul,
I agree with PortageGirl. And I wouldn't leave eggs in to encourage laying either as eggs could get broken and then eaten. Chickens love their own eggs and you certianly would not want to encourage egg eating.

I have 14 hens too, but get anywhere from 3-7 eggs a day during late fall and winter. Some days, none at all. As the days lengthen and there is more light, your egg production will increase.

Your chickens sound very well cared for and very lucky to have you looking after them.

 

[paulfy4]

hi,thanks for replying,

i feel better now i know someone else with the same amount of chickens is only getting a few eggs.

cheers paul

 

[chicklady63]

Hi,
I had heard adding cayenne pepper to their feed allows them to produce better. I tried it & it does work, or something did, & our weather at that point did not. They started picking up production within just a couple days. Apply it liberally too. Someone mentioned a whole bottle in a 10 pound bag of feed. I just sprinkled it on in the 2.5 gallon feed bucket I use until you could tell it was in there.(Apparently they can't really taste the spice, so they have no objections to eating it at all. Then I wonder, who knows & how what a chicken can/can't taste? Maybe they just love hot, spicy foods - I know I do! I haven't laid many eggs lately tho', but my husband almost did when I brought home more chicks from the feed store!

)