What to feed chickens to lay more eggs.

[brad68der1]

Has anyone ever used game bird feed? Is it worth the extra $? Just curious...

 

[keesmom]

I feed Blue Seal's gamebird crumbles to all my birds. Here it's not much more than layer, only $1-2 more per 50 lb.

 

[gclark94560]

Distilled Water - - - - -

True distilled water - ultra pure distilled water - as in zero ions and impurities is a very dangerous solvent. It can corrode and dissolve all kinds of things. This, of course, only goes on as long as it's pure. As soon as you dissolve something in it, it stops being pure and its corrosive ability starts going down rapidly.

Almost no home still can get water this pure in one pass through the still.

But, if you are getting high quality distilled water and have ANY metals (copper pipe?) plastics (PVC pipe?) or much else except glass in it, you are drinking those impurities.

Metal salts (like galvanized fittings, cadmium Plating etc) can be very toxic!

Even a lot of glass has impurities in it.

 

[Ra_]

My Serama laid through the Winter last year here in Central Florida.
It may be because I stuff them like Christmas Geese?

I finely mince a Cucumber every morning and mix it into their crumble.
I give them about twice the amount that they can eat.
At the end of the day I let them free range in the paddock for an hour.
(I have to stand guard & play goalie. Serama are Hawk-candy)

I take their leftover crumble and add water.
They gobble this mash down like it is ice cream.
Funny thing is, if rain gets on it during the day, they avoid it like poison
But when I put water on it, they consider it to be Ambrosia.
Their crops are stuffed when they go to bed.

I'm about to add Sunflower Microgreens to their diets.
They are 24-30% protein with massive amounts of other nutrients.

 

[txtigger32]

Do you get your feed for your chickens at Tractor Supply or local feed store? I'm new to the chicken scene and they were laying 3-4 a day. I have 6 and now they lay 1-2 a day.

 

[mamatink7]

I found that lay pellets decreased their egg laying. When I switched to a game bird feed at a higher protein (made at a local feed mill), is when the egg production almost doubled and the eggs were huge. No more lay pellets for my birds every again.

sorry for responding now as its yrs later...do you add oyster shell and omega 3 to the game feed? What's the protein% and calcium %? Ours is 27% and our pullets nearly all stopped, we have high production girls who haven't laid in a wk or more now!

 

[BeckySK]

I'm a newbie... I'm hearing you need 16% feed & so much lighting in the winter for your chickens to lay eggs. I have 2 hens 1 rooster. (Long Island Reds) From day one I mixed 16% layer feed & some bird mix. & now with the cold weather I give them along with there mix... warm oatmeal & scrambled eggs. They love them. I get about 2-3 eggs every couple days or so. They do not have any light in the coop. But I think I should put one in there from 8am-4pm. I love this site to hear the people's comments & look at the coops & chicken runs. It gives me some good ideas for my next project for this coming summer.

 

[mamatink7]

I'm a newbie... I'm hearing you need 16% feed & so much lighting in the winter for your chickens to lay eggs. I have 2 hens 1 rooster. (Long Island Reds) From day one I mixed 16% layer feed & some bird mix. & now with the cold weather I give them along with there mix... warm oatmeal & scrambled eggs. They love them. I get about 2-3 eggs every couple days or so. They do not have any light in the coop. But I think I should put one in there from 8am-4pm. I love this site to hear the people's comments & look at the coops & chicken runs. It gives me some good ideas for my next project for this coming summer.

higher protein during winter is best, between 18-21% protein is great
try not to put on all day, only use it for the before daylight time to extend actual daylight. For example: ours are 630-8am and 4-645pm cause our daylight is 745am-505pm. You want to make it between 14-16hrs a day (minus actual daylight hours) so ours is 9hr 20 min, I add enough time to make it the 14-15hrs.

 

[BeckySK]

So, your saying to turn on about 5pm-8am? It gets dark here about the same time as you about 4:30-5 & light out in am about 7:30. Do you also have the light on in the coop for heat? What watt is your bulb? I'm afraid one morning I might wake up to frozen chickens? My coop is 10'7 I have a bale of hay in there with lots of shavings.... but it's still cold in there for my babies. Any more suggestions?

 

[TalkALittle]

So, your saying to turn on about 5pm-8am? It gets dark here about the same time as you about 4:30-5 & light out in am about 7:30. Do you also have the light on in the coop for heat? What watt is your bulb? I'm afraid one morning I might wake up to frozen chickens? My coop is 10'7 I have a bale of hay in there with lots of shavings.... but it's still cold in there for my babies. Any more suggestions?

Set light to turn on around 5:30 or 6am and off at 8 am. By then the sun will be up and you won't need to provide light. Then set it to turn back on at 4pm and off again around 7:30 or 8pm. The birds will have been exposed to light for a total of 14 hours.