want a tip that will make your hens lay like its spring in the winter

[Moabite]

It's kinda like putting Tabasco Sauce on before you cook the eggs...

I am gonna order some of the hottest cayenne pepper I can find in bulk, do I want flakes or powder?

If I go with the habeneros, will I get 2 eggs, per hen, per day

?
Your chickens might die of "Dragon Butt"

 

[Choco Maran]

Okay I was having problems with my chickens not laying about three weeks ago. I was ready to try anything. They where coming out of a molt and my customers where getting mad. I tried adding some Calf Manna and added a light in the coop all night and today I got 30 eggs from 35 hens. My baby who are just starting to lay are giving me 15-18 eggs a day from 40 pullets. So I would say just try calf manna and light it worked great for me.

 

[PatS]

I started adding supplemental light last weekend. I use an LED battery camping "lantern" as it seems very safe (no fire risk). I've been keeping it on till 8:30-9:00ish. It took six days, but now I've been seeing an increase in eggs. Some of my hens are molting, so it's still not 100%, but I've had a few days where I'm getting twice what I was getting a week ago. And this is during the worst weather we've had all year. We had SNOW yesterday!

 

[galanie]

I just thought I'd chime in about Chili powder vs Cayenne pepper. I don't know if chili powder would work as well or not, but I doubt it since real chili powder isn't hot. Yes, you read that right. It's not hot. Chili simply means pepper in Spanish (as in Green pepper, red pepper, etc). It gives flavor but it's not hot. My stomach cannot take hot peppers but I can eat all the chili powder I want. Even out of the container, it's not hot. Our mind may tell us that it's hot because we're conditioned to think so, and so feel somewhat of a burning sensation when eating it but unless you are very, very sensitive it doesn't burn at all.

So, I don't think Chili Powder will work the same as there is little to no Capsicum (the substance that creates the burning sensation in hot peppers) in it. If the thing that makes it work is the vitamin C and such that peppers are rich in, then maybe it will.

 

[Boo-Boo's Mama]

I've been adding Crushed Red Pepper to the morning mash of alfalfa pellets, Flock Raiser, cooked pinto beans or blackeyed peas, buttermilk or yogurt, and whatever else I find in the frig that needs to move on.

It seemed to help until our days kept getting shorter...they got down to 12 eggs/day so we put 60' of Christmas white LED lights on the ceiling of the coop/run last week. Since putting the light up we are getting 15 to 20 eggs/day now from 22 pullets.

 

[mulewagon]

A friend of mine told me several years ago that the way to kick-start the hens was to feed them a mash of corn meal thick with red pepper flakes - lots and lots. I make it with milk, and powdered eggshells run through the blender. We're getting eight eggs from eleven hens right now, though of course it's also been sunny and warm this week. So who knows? At least they're getting the calcium back!

 

[BirdWalkFarm]

I tried the red pepper flakes after reading the first post that it really helped the girls lay better . I own a restaurant so am able to order it in the 40 pound bags (yeah) . My husband thinks I have really lost it now for sure . We only have about 25 chickens and just got them this last Spring . They not only laid more but the eggs are much larger , some of the biggest brown eggs I have ever seen . I certainly am no expert and have learned about chickens mostly from this message board .

Thanks for all the good information .
BirdWalkFarm

 

[southerncomfortfarms]

using garlic also reduces possible worm infestations......

 

[jessylee]

Very interesting topic, makes me wonder.. I have really REALLY hot, hot sauce ingredients are mostly hot peppers and vinegar...could I just add that to their morning oat meal? One drop is too much for me!

 

[Barry Natchitoches]

A little bit of cayenne pepper MIGHT be OK, but I suspect that it is CRUEL to give hens anything more than a little bit of the stuff!


Too much cayenne pepper can BURN a human person's stomach. What makes us think that it would be less painful for an innocent bird?


And the thing is -- if YOU eat too much cayenne pepper, YOU have the ability to back off and not eat so much next time. I know I sure have.


But your chickens don't have that ability.


If you load their food down with cayenne pepper or red pepper flakes, they will eat it and then suffer -- with no way for them to tell you the agony that you have caused them.


I don't want eggs so bad that I will take the risk of making my hens suffer in pain...