The Poultry Keeper

voodooslippers · Joined: 19 Feb 2008 Posts: 26 Location: Oxford

My hens only produce 2 eggs every 3 days, and I'm wondering if they're protein deficient.
I sometimes feed them kitchen scraps (mainly uncooked fruit skins and bits of cabbage), and found in the weeks we had meat scraps, egg production went up from 4 a week to 6 per hen.
Are they not getting enough protein from layers pellets? They've only been laying for 2 months, so maybe it's because they're too young?

I also supplement their diet with seeds, so they're eating very well. I've just been led to expect one egg a day from these goldlines, so it's a little disappointing they're not laying more.

Gilly C · Joined: 22 Jun 2006 Posts: 2620 Location: South Cumbria

by feeding them scraps they may not be eating enough of the layers pellets it is a complete food so maybe try without the scraps and see if things improve just giving them a small handful of scratch feed late afternoon/early evening . I do feed mine scraps but we get more than enough eggs for our use they are really just pets Very Happy

EGirl · Joined: 01 Nov 2007 Posts: 1263 Location: Dublin, Ireland

I would cut down on the greens a little, and give them a can of beef catfood once a week until they lay well. It works wonders for mine.

Good luck!

Henwife · Joined: 31 Jan 2006 Posts: 3452 Location: Monmouthshire

Make sure they have enough light. Too many chicken houses are pitch dark so either you have to get up early, or you have to put a window in their house. It's the increase in daylight that affects the increase in egg numbers.

Barny_Velder · Joined: 29 Dec 2007 Posts: 164 Location: North Wales Coast

^ Good advice, layers contain absolutely everything your hen needs to lay, so the problem could be related to light levels.
You do not need to supplement a hens diet if your feeding good quality layers.
If the birds are laying hybrids in there first year of laying you should be getting one a day at this time of year.

wemfish · Joined: 10 Jan 2008 Posts: 205 Location: Wem Shropshire

Should I be getting more eggs?

I don't feed layers and get about 4/5 eggs a day from 7 hens. They get a lot of their food from around the garden and I feed them mixed grain with ground up shells added. . the coup is dark but I let them out when I get up at around 7am.

milkmaid · Joined: 19 Apr 2005 Posts: 7364 Location: isle of lewis

it also depends on what type of birds they are ,my white dorkings lay really well and then tail off ,the some of my other birds are better at laying later in the season ,in fact i know some types of show breeding birds really don't lay at all well ,

Dusty · Joined: 07 Jan 2008 Posts: 934 Location: St. Asaph

I have 3 Black Rocks and I get 3 eggs a day six days a week and two eggs on the seventh day!!!!!!!!

They have organic pellets on tap but i find because they free range they don't tend to touch it much.

They also have grit available.

I give them porridge in the morning which is useful for adding garlic and verm x when required and then a handful of mixed corn in the afternoon.

They also get vegetables and anything I have to hand such as sunflower hearts ( I keep aviary birds) as a treat.

Their coop has polycarbonate panels in to increase the light as well as a panel of wire for ventilation.