what to feed chickens to get geed eggs

• Oyster shell. Besides oysters, hens need calcium to create a strong egg shell. A consistent supply of calcium is critical for the production of hard shell eggs.
• Layer feed. It is crucial to provide your chickens with a diet rich in nutrients for laying eggs. ...
• Cracked corn. Providing cracked corn to your chicken will help it produce heat, making it a great choice for colder weather.
• Alfalfa hay. While most hens are not allowed to eat too much alfalfa hay, it is still a nutritious food for them.
• Scratch grains. There are a variety of different types of scratch grains for chickens. These grains are like dessert to humans, and poultry are no different.
• Mealworms. Mealworms are an excellent source of protein for your laying hen. Dried mealworms have more than 50% protein.

Full Answer

What do you feed your chickens?

The foundation of that diet is the wheat grass fodder I grow. Wheat grass is very high in protein, and protein is key to healthy chickens and better tasting eggs. You can also use barley, but I use wheat because barley isn’t available in the quantities I need in my area, and I try to support local businesses.

How do chickens give you eggs?

You feed the chickens, you shelter them, they give you eggs. Well, it’s actually not that simple. Let’s take a look at the complex process that is required to make sure your friendly birds give you the best eggs possible. How To Feed Them? How Much To Feed Them?

How do you get chickens to eat egg shells?

Continue mixing the eggshells into their feed so they keep getting calcium in their diet. Slowly introduce eggshells into your chicken’s diet so it can get used to the flavor. Switch to ground oyster shells if your chickens start eating their own eggs.

What do free range chickens eat?

Dry grass, legume hay, kelp meal, and fermented hay Fish oil and fish meal The basis for the carnivorous diet stems from the fact that chickens when left to forage for themselves naturally eat worms and bugs which are very high in protein. This could be why free range chickens have the best tasting eggs.

What to feed chickens for the most nutritious eggs?

Have a crack at these tasty chicken treats to boost your backyard chicken eggs' nutritional value and keep those cheeky chooks flappin' happy in their coop or run. Vibrant leafy green vegetables like spinach, pak choi, silverbeet, kale or millet are a great treat for your laying hens.

Which feed is best for eggs?

Wheat grass is very high in protein, and protein is key to healthy chickens and better tasting eggs. You can also use barley, but I use wheat because barley isn't available in the quantities I need in my area, and I try to support local businesses.

How do you make chicken eggs richer?

Give your chickens plenty of fresh greens to increase the lutein in their yolks. The darker the green the better, so I often fix them a feast of edible amaranth (one of my favorite summer greens), kale, mustard greens, broccoli leaves, or whatever I happen to have growing in my garden.

Is corn good for chickens?

Corn is the easiest grain for chickens to digest and is low in fiber. Yellow dent corn is the variety typically used in feed.

What do you feed chickens to lay eggs bigger?

In the first couple of months of egg production feeding a high, 18% to 20% protein layer ration will increase egg size. After the flock has reached maximum egg production, high protein diets no longer promote large increases in egg size.

What do you feed chickens to make their eggs orange?

Farmers have added marigolds to chicken feed for about 60 years now. Marigolds contain a chemical called carotenoids which gives the petals a bright orange color. When a chicken eats the marigold petals the yolks of their eggs become orange colored too.

Does cayenne pepper help chickens lay eggs?

According to old-timers, cayenne pepper can be added to your chickens' feed in the cold months to help warm up your chickens and boost egg production.

What is the best chicken feed for laying hens?

The 10 Best Chicken Feed For Laying HensManna Pro Oyster Shell. ... Manna Pro 7-Grain Ultimate Chicken Scratch. ... Scratch and Peck Feed Naturally Free Organic Starter Chick Feed. ... Manna Pro Chick Starter. ... Prairie's Choice Non-GMO Backyard Grower Chicken Feed. ... Purina Layena + Omega 3. ... Kaytee Laying Hen Diet.More items...•

What do you feed chickens to make their eggs orange?

Farmers have added marigolds to chicken feed for about 60 years now. Marigolds contain a chemical called carotenoids which gives the petals a bright orange color. When a chicken eats the marigold petals the yolks of their eggs become orange colored too.

How do you make egg yolks stronger?

Parsley, Marjoram, Fennel, and Borage are good to add when egg problems exist. As a result, the hens will be more comfortable while providing delicious strong, high quality eggs. In any event, adding more quality ingredients to your hen's diet can only help them build stronger immunity and live healthier lives.

Do chickens like crumble or pellets better?

Feeding crumbles provides a nutritionally complete and balanced diet, just like pellets. Some may find that their flock wastes the crumbles a little more than pellets since chickens instinctually forage through smaller feed particles to eat the pieces they want.

1. Think about Protein Power

It’s worth remembering that the bulk of the nutritional value of eggs is supplied in the form of protein. If your chickens don’t have enough protein in their diet – those eggs are not going to shine – literally, more protein deepens that attractive yellow color of the yolk.

2. Go Green

Veggies are also an important part of the chicken’s diet that will contribute not only to keeping them healthy – but also encourage regular egg laying and optimize egg taste.

3. Fabulous Fiber

Your chickens are going to have to have a healthy dose of fiber to promote egg laying – and keep them healthy. The key is to keep up the carb content while balancing out their fiber needs.

4. Cracking the Shell Code

A healthy helping of calcium is an absolute essential to promote egg laying and the production of great looking, strong and tasty eggs.

5. Running Free

Sometimes it’s better to let nature find its own way. If you are lucky enough to have a substantial yard then make an effort to allow the chickens to forage for the food that they would enjoy if human beings were not providing nutritional help.

6. Always Hydrate

Aside from the fact that chickens may need supplementary feed in order to supply that perfect mix of fats, proteins, fiber and carbs they will also need a healthy source of water – and a lot of it.

Step 1: A high protein diet

The foundation of that diet is the wheat grass fodder I grow. Wheat grass is very high in protein, and protein is key to healthy chickens and better tasting eggs. You can also use barley, but I use wheat because barley isn’t available in the quantities I need in my area, and I try to support local businesses.

Step 2: Fiber and Herbs

Along with the wheat grass, I add oatmeal, alfalfa, garlic (fresh or powdered), and dried oregano to my chicken’s feed. You can find those herbs in this non-GMO product I love:

Step 3: Fresh foods

I don’t use a set recipe. I just sprinkle and mix. I also add kitchen scraps, as well as fresh veggies like cabbage, tomatoes (which they can pick through), etc. Since it’s winter and their water keeps freezing, the fresh veggies help them stay hydrated in addition to giving me better tasting eggs.

Feeding Your Layers For Egg Production

The simplest and most effective way of feeding your flock of hens for egg production is to buy a complete feed intended for this purpose. Complete chicken feeds are processed to provide all essential nutrients needed by your egg-layers for better production.

Top 5 Chicken Feeds for Laying Eggs

Here comes Hiland-Naturals Non-GMO Chicken Grower feed for your hens. This brand offers different types of chicken feed, especially for layers. Also, you can provide it to your growers and starters if you want to.

1. Choose the right chicken breeds

The very first step to ensuring you get lots of eggs from your chickens is to choose the right breeds to begin with.

3. Add supplemental light in the coop

The hens laying cycle is directly affected by daylight. Most chickens will lay eggs consistently when there are 14 or more hours of light in a day. When fall begins and the daylight hours wane, chicken egg production takes a nosedive.

4. Deal with broody hens

Broodiness is another reason hens stop laying eggs, and if you have hens that frequently go broody, you’ll be missing out on a lot of eggs.

5. Check hens regularly for illness, parasites, and injury

One of the biggest reasons you’ll see a decrease in egg production is because your chickens aren’t healthy enough to lay eggs.

6. Up the quality of their feed

Dried mealworms make an excellent supplement to improve your hen’s health.

7. Reduce stress

Stress plays a big role in egg production. A stressed hen simply won’t lay eggs. Reducing the amount of stress in your hens lives will have a big impact on egg amount and quality.

The Right Type of Feed

Before delving into the treats you can give your birds, you’ll need to make sure you’re giving them the right kind of feed. If you’re starting out with baby chicks, it’s important to give them chick starter/grower. This type of feed is intended to make sure they get all the nutrition they need.

7. Apples

Apples make excellent chicken treats, and they’re rich in vitamins. You can cut up apples into small cubes. If you peel apples for use in cooking, you can also offer peels to your birds–they’ll love them!

Summary

Knowing what to feed chickens is important, especially if you want to give your birds snacks and treats outside of their normal diet. By offering healthy, nutritious additions to their diet, you can make your chickens’ days a little brighter.

Community Q&A

Do you bake eggshells to kill pathogens? Is boiling eggshells okay, too?

Warnings

Watch your chickens after you introduce eggshells into their diet since they might start breaking their own eggs.

About This Article

This article was co-authored by wikiHow staff writer, Hunter Rising, and Amy Harrison, a trusted member of wikiHow's volunteer community. Amy Harrison has over five years of experience working directly with poultry. She has worked on a rural chicken farm built around marketing free-range eggs, where she managed the care for the poultry year-round.