taking breaks

[banditgin]

it seems that my hens like to take about 2 week vacations from laying. they stopped laying a few weeks ago and just started laying again last week. silly birds.

 

[Wolf-Kim]

Any change in feed? I know my girls will stop laying for about a week if I go from using Laying Pellets to just whole corn.

-Kim

 

[bigzio]

Whole corn should be used as a treat only. Layers need a very minimum of 14% protein to have a nutritional feed. Corn doesn't provide even half of the necessary nutrition for a healthy flock.

If the flock has a good free range diet, that would help alot.

If they are cooped up, it's not a good diet, and problems will occur.

bigzio

 

[Wolf-Kim]

Mine mostly freerange, the corn and the coop just remind them where "home" is.

-Kim

 

[MissPrissy]

Corn is like candy for chickens. It has little nutritional value. Hens need a well balanced laying ration to produce good eggs and to be all around in good health.

 

[MissPrissy]

Free ranging is good. They get alot more natural protein. They still would greatly benefit from a laying feed instead of corn.

Corn takes a lot of energy to digest and therefore raises the body temps. This is a good thing in cold weather. As the hot days of summer approach stop all the corn because the added heat causes undue stress on their bodies and they can't cool down.

 

[banditgin]

it might have been a change in food but I just went from pellets to crushed and that was at least a week or two before they stopped laying. they free range during the day