What to feed chickens to lay more eggs.

[themadchicken]

i have a light on a timer that comes on just before dusk and just after dawn. Yes...24 hours of light. I feed them a 3 grain mix and also give them all the whole wheat they want.they have access to my yard and in the last couple weeks a lot of the snow has melted away and they have started to forage again in the weeds and under the bushes. And my lawn!

. I guess i will have to do a little reseeding this spring. 12-14 eggs from 16 hens.

 

[Mac in Wisco]

I find that mine don't depend on what food or what the wether is like. Mine lay if I sit outside with them, pet them, and give them a treat from the house. Other than that they all 7 pf them give me an egg each day unless I do something different and scrue up there daily routine.

They must be fairly young birds then, they won't sustain that production for long. It will dwindle to six eggs a day, and then five... After one year of laying our hens get down to about 75-80% on production and then they are replaced.

 

[ll]

Quote:

Yes ... 24 hours of light

0_o

why waste the power

typed as if known it's excessive

i don't get it

 

[15shenyl]

They must be fairly young birds then, they won't sustain that production for long.  It will dwindle to six eggs a day, and then five...  After one year of laying our hens get down to about 75-80% on production and then they are replaced.

They are going to be 1 year in May. I won't get rid of them though, there so sweet and love to cuddle. There for show at our 2 fairs, I'm in FFA. I am getting about 15 new chicks in a few months for show along with my Salmon Faverolles, that's the breed I have now. I have been very surprised how well they layed through winter and they just keep giving me eggs, I know they will eventually stop, but they won't go anywhere.

 

[NestingHillsSC]

i have a light on a timer that comes on just before dusk and just after dawn. Yes...24 hours of light. I feed them a 3 grain mix and also give them all the whole wheat they want.they have access to my yard and in the last couple weeks a lot of the snow has melted away and they have started to forage again in the weeds and under the bushes. And my lawn!

. I guess i will have to do a little reseeding this spring. 12-14 eggs from 16 hens.

I moved my chickens to a large grassy area this pass summer. Within 2 1/2 weeks there wasn't a speck of grass left.

There worse than goats.

 

[countryhen]

I have heard that cayenne pepper sprinkled in their food can make em lay more? I have not tried this do yall think this will work? I have a light in the top of my coop that stays on all the time should I turn it off some or is this ok? my chickens seem happy and lay good.

 

[Chucklecluck]

I use solar lamps in my chicken pin it seems to help and there is no extra cost other than the first cost to buy but at 9 for one lamp and I use two for forty chickens and twenty quail I say the cost is more than worth it

 

[DeepFriedBacon]

I'm relatively new to chickens, but mine appear to be doing fine on 16% layer pellets. Although, I. Don't supplement with scratch grains. They get all salad leftovers, (lettuce, spinach, tomato, ham, etc.) Which isn't a whole lot btw, and I have a worm bin which they each get a few worms each day as treat. They free range the yard as much as possible, although they will only come out of the tractor if I'm in the yard. So really just an hour or two they free range but when they do go back in you can see the filled croop(?that's what its called right?). I have 2 EE's and a mystery chicken that hasn't laid an egg yet nor crowed so it'll be a mystery till either one happens...

So out of 2 laying hens I'm almost getting 2 eggs a day, but its random. One day no eggs, next day 2, next day w, next day 2, next day none ettc. No lighting whatsoever, just natural light.

I guess the answer is experiment and find your chickens sweet spot. My method might( and probably) won't work for you just as yours won't for me. Silly chickens.

 

[countryhen]

Deepfriedbacon how did you make your worm bin? I would like to make one for my chickens can you post pics so i can get an idea of how to do it.

 

[Angel16]

would a sky light work? i was thinking of puting one in my chicken coop but wondered if it was a good idea or not?