taste of eggs??

[Margo]

My eggs from hens that just started laying don,t have a good taste like eggs that I bought from farm down the road ???? Help: Is it protein in the feed, some are 15.5% some 16% layer? I,ve been using 15.5% all the food they want until 5 pm. Then I take away, because I,ve been told eggs will get to big if fed after 5. They do free range until about 8pm. I waited so long for them to lay. I check like 10 times a day and bring them in as soon as they lay them so not sitting out long. Please help.

 

[Kittymomma]

I leave the feed out 24/7 I think that no feeding after 5 is an old wives tale. What are you feeding them? The only thing I can think of that would effect taste would be if the feed was getting most of its protien from something like fish meal. Mine are all on gamebird feed (higher protien then what you're using) and I'm not having any problems with taste.

 

[gritsar]

I can't comment on the taste of the eggs, but I had to comment on taking their feed up. IMO, layers should have access to food 24/7. Yes it's true they don't eat while they are roosting at night, but you'd have to get up super early (break of day) to beat a hen up and when they wake up they're hungry. In fact, restricting them from food can cause a decrease in egg production if it becomes a chronic thing.

 

[Margo]

Thanks : Thanks I ,m going to get a higher potein food and leave it out 24/7 .

 

[Kittymomma]

If you switch to gamebird or flockraiser to get the higher protien be sure to put oyster shell out free choice so they get enough calcium.

 

[Margo]

back out last night filled feeders ,they were all like whats going on,woke them up.Made some phone calls this morning .One feed store has 20% layer. They told me some people feed cracked corn with it? wanted to find out if that was ok? or should I only use 20% layer mash and oyster shell.

 

[Kittymomma]

You can give them some cracked corn as a treat. Don't mix it with the layer though because they'll often try to get the corn out and end up spilling/wasting a lot of feed. Cracked corn/scratch is like candy to chickens--not a lot of nutritional value, but ohhh so yummy. I throw some on the ground for my chooks a couple of times a day. It gives them something to scratch around for and me a good opportunity to look everybody over. Once they get used to it (I use a red coffee can) they'll come running as soon as they see the feed can which makes it easy to get them back into the run (mine free range) early when I need to put them up for the night before they're ready to go to bed. The cracked corn shouldn't be more then 10% of their diet but it is a nice treat.

 

[Jeeper1540]

mine have food 24/7

the first eggs from mine didnt really have a taste, but they get better as the hens get older in my experience

 

[StormyMoon]

I wouldn't use corn, if its hot where you are, it will cause your hens to stop laying eggs. People have been posting a lot about it lately and they have been giving corn to their hens that stopped laying. If your in a cooler area then I don't think it should be a problem.....it was 105 degrees here today.....very hot.
Corn is a hot food that will cause the chickens to be even hotter.