what to feed hens to make them lay eggs

Should I give my hens a rest from laying?

Tips for Getting Your Chickens to Lay More Eggs

1. Give them plenty of good-quality food. Make sure you get the best quality food for your chickens that you can afford. ...
2. Add calcium to their diet. Try to keep a dish of crushed oyster shells in the chicken coop for your laying hens to seek out when they need a ...
3. Provide a clean, well-ventilated chicken coop. ...
4. Make sure they get plenty of fresh water. ...

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What is the best chicken food for laying hens?

What to Feed Laying Hens

• Chicken Feed. There are various types of formulated feeds available in the market for chickens according to their age and types of hens.
• Greens. Chickens enjoy all kinds of greens including grasses, leaves, plants etc. ...
• Scratch Mix. ...
• Supplemental Calcium & Vitamins. ...
• Water. ...

What size box do you need for laying hens?

• Pet carriers
• Milk crates
• Covered cat litter boxes
• 5-gallon buckets
• (Wine) barrels
• Drawers (will need sides and a roof)
• Shallow trash cans

What are the biggest factors to make hens lay eggs?

• High-quality layer feed like Prairie’s Choice Non-GMO Backyard Chicken Feed
• Oyster shells for calcium
• Grit for digestion
• Only a few healthy treats, no more than 5% of their diet
• And lots of foraging materials

What can I give my chickens to help them lay eggs?

Treats That Will Make Your Hens Lay More EggsMealworms.Eggs and Eggshells.Greens.Watermelon and Fruit.Japanese Beetles.Sunflower Seeds.Scratch Grains.Cracked Corn.More items...•

What food makes hens lay more eggs?

You don't have to go crazy with some cutting-edge feed that's guaranteed to make your chickens produce eggs the size of a garden gnome. It's recommended that you use a diet of premium laying mash or pellet, along with occasional fresh fruit. vegetables, meal worms and other healthy treats.

What nutrients do chickens need to lay eggs?

A basic layer ration that contains appropriate amounts of protein, calcium and phosphorus should provide adequate nutrition for egg-producing hens and be the most economical option.

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.

Why are my chickens not laying eggs?

Chickens stop laying eggs for a variety of reasons. Hens may lay fewer eggs due to light, stress, poor nutrition, molt or age. Some of these reasons are natural responses, while others can be fixed with simple changes and egg laying can return to normal.

Is Cracked corn good for chickens?

Cracked corn is a great treat for chickens. Because it is high in carbohydrates, it is particularly good in the winter months. But, like all treats, cracked corn should be fed in moderation. Never give your birds more than they will eat in 10-20 minutes.

How many times a day should I feed my chickens?

How Often to Feed Chickens. Ideally, you should split your chicken's feed into two servings daily. If you're home during the day, you can even make this 3-4 small feedings. Chickens enjoy small, frequent meals as opposed to large meals once a day.

What should you not feed chickens?

What Not to Feed to ChickensRaw Potato Peels. Raw potato peels, especially green ones, can contain a toxic substance called solanine. ... Citrus. Citrus can be harmful to some chickens. ... Raw or Dry beans. ... Dry Rice. ... Avocadoes. ... Apple Seeds. ... Chocolate (or any kind of candy) ... Moldy Food.More items...

How do I give my hens calcium?

Common Sources of Supplemental CalciumCrushed oyster shells- often sold at feed stores next to the layer feed (Highly Recommended!)Crushed eggshells- dry eggshells, crush them, and feed them back to your hens (Not Recommended as a replacement for oyster shells - *see below)More items...•

Is Cracked corn good for chickens?

Cracked corn is a great treat for chickens. Because it is high in carbohydrates, it is particularly good in the winter months. But, like all treats, cracked corn should be fed in moderation. Never give your birds more than they will eat in 10-20 minutes.

What is the best grain to feed chickens?

The birds will readily eat whole wheat, whole oats or whole barley (but they can have difficulty eating whole corn). After about three weeks of eating whole grain, the hens' gizzards will increase in muscle mass and will grind the grain as efficiently as a hammer mill.

What is the best food for chickens?

Good choices include leafy greens, cooked beans, corn, non-sugary cereals and grains, berries, apples and most other fruits and vegetables. Despite often voracious appetites and a willingness to eat just about anything you might give them, there are some foods to be avoided.

When do chickens start laying eggs?

Different breeds of chicken have varying ages when they start laying eggs.

What to feed your chickens from chicks to egg-laying hens

After buying the chickens, (preferably either of the best chicken breeds for eggs) what next to do you do?

Treats to feed you chickens that will make them lay more eggs

We know the regular strategic feeding we listed above is enough to make the chickens lay eggs.

Chicken Feed

There are various types of formulated feeds available in the market for chickens according to their age and types of hens. You will find feeds for your chicks, growing chicks and mature one.

Greens

Chickens enjoy all kinds of greens including grasses, leaves, plants etc. Fresh greens, tender grass clippings, table scraps, vegetables etc. are effective greens for your laying hens.

Scratch Mix

Naturally chickens love to scratch up the soil and eat bugs, insects, grit and greens. You can provide your hens scratch mix that is an assortment of grains and seeds like barley, corn, oats or wheat.

Supplemental Calcium & Vitamins

Supplement the feed of your laying hens with extra vitamins and calcium whether they eat commercially prepared feed or feed free range. Calcium helps to make the eggshells strong.

Water

Along with feeding high quality and nutritious feeds, your laying hens also need a consistent water source. Normally, chickens drink double or triple than the total amount of feed they consume each day.

Mealworms

Perhaps the most loved of all treats, mealworms- they contain over 50% protein!

Greens

Dandelion leaves, chickweed, kale, cabbage are all high in vitamins and minerals that the hen needs to maintain good overall health.

Japanese Beetles

Are you tired of these pesky bugs eating your roses and everything else in the garden?

Sunflower Seeds

For your hens to get the most out of sunflower seeds, they should be hulled. The outer coat is thick and tough so most of the protein and fats remain locked inside the shell.

Scratch Grains

Scratch grains are exactly what they say- grains that can be scattered to encourage the girls to scratch and dig.

Cracked Corn

Also known as ‘Chicken Crack’, cracked corn is by far one of our chickens’ favorite snacks.

Scrambled Eggs

Ok, this one may be a little creepy for some chicken lovers. But scrambled eggs have tons of protein!

Know Your Timeline

One of the best tips to pay attention to when raising chickens for eggs is that chickens don’t start laying as soon as they hatch out of their own eggs.

Mind the Feed

The good news about raising laying hens is that you don’t have to go absolutely bonkers trying to find some new, cutting-edge feed for your chickens. You just need to give them a basic, quality diet.

Add Some Treats

Although the easiest way to modify your chickens’ diets to get them to lay more eggs is to simply provide them more of their regular, high-protein and high-calcium feed, you can also supplement with treats.

Keep Things Clean

Think about it – how relaxed would you feel if your toilet was overflowing and your house was a mess? Probably not very.

Tidy Up Those Nest Boxes

How are your nesting boxes looking? Ideally, you should have at least one nesting box for every four chickens, but if your girls are struggling to lay the right amount of eggs, you may need to add a few more areas for them to do so.

Give a Girl Some Space!

If your chickens are feeling cooped up – see what I did there? – they are far more likely to lay fewer eggs.

Add Calcium

Laying an egg requires a shocking amount of calcium. Make sure your laying hens have access to a calcium supplement.

SUPPLEMENTS

Chickens are compelled to scratch at the ground. They use their toes to mix up litter or scrape the ground in search of various seeds, greens, grit, or insects to eat. Spreading scratch grains (cracked, rolled, or whole grains such as corn, barley, oats, or wheat) encourages this behavior.

MEDICATED FEEDS

Medicated poultry feeds, which typically contain a coccidiostat and/or an antibiotic, are available. Coccidiosis can be hard to control through sanitation practices alone. Chickens benefit from being fed a coccidiostat at low levels. Mature chickens develop a resistance to coccidiosis if allowed to contract a mild infection of the disease.

FEEDING AND STORAGE

The way the chickens are fed is as important as the feed itself. Supply enough feeder space for all the chickens to eat at one time. With limited feeder space, some chickens do not get enough to eat. Place the feeders so that the trough is at the level of the chickens’ backs. This will reduce feed spillage.

REPLACEMENT PULLETS

The manner in which a pullet is raised to sexual maturity will have a lasting effect on the productive life of the hen. Pullets are grown to reach a certain body weight at a specific age. Many of the problems that occur in a laying flock can be traced back to insufficient body weight during the growing period.

LAYING HENS

Once your chickens start laying eggs (around 20 weeks of age) they should be switched to a layer feed. Layer feeds are formulated for chickens laying table eggs (those used for human consumption). Broiler feeds are formulated for those chickens producing hatching eggs (breeders).

MOLTING

Each year chickens molt (lose older feathers) and grow new ones. Hens typically stop egg production until after the molt is completed. There is considerable variability in the timing and duration of a molt. “Late molters” lay for 12 to 14 months before molting, whereas “early molters” can begin to molt after only a few months in production.

FOR MORE INFORMATION

How to feed your laying and breed flock. James Hermes, Oregon State University.

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.

Warnings

Don't feed your hens eggplant, tomato or rhubarb leaves, apple seeds, onions, chocolate, caffeine, tea bags, citrus fruit, or alcohol, as these are poisonous to your chicken.

About This Article

This article was co-authored by Ryan Corrigan, LVT, VTS-EVN. Ryan Corrigan is a Licensed Veterinary Technician in California. She received her Bachelor of Science in Veterinary Technology from Purdue University in 2010. She is also a Member of the Academy of Equine Veterinary Nursing Technicians since 2011.

Tips On How To Get Chickens To Start Laying

Let’s face it. There is nothing better than going out and collecting fresh eggs and then cracking them open into a frying pan. The glorious, plump orange yokes are better than a ray of morning sunshine.

6 Common Reasons Chicken May Stop Laying Eggs

Starting out with the most common reasons is the best way to begin your investigative process. You can probably easily identify these issues and hopefully determine the cause of your egg-laying dry spell.

Other Reasons Your Chickens May Not Be Laying

If you have ruled out all the common reasons your hens are not laying, the investigation must continue. There are some less common reasons for a hen to stop producing eggs.

Tips For Getting Your Chickens To Lay Eggs Again

Make sure your flock is getting the right nutrition for laying eggs. Supplement with snacks high in protein like mealworms, sunflower seeds, oats, and provide a free-feed source of calcium like oyster shells or crushed eggshells.