Fodder and Egg-laying

[chickenman111]

any negative affects from feeding fodder to laying hens. I've supplemented mine with fodder and have had a massive decline in egg laying. any tips will be helpful.

 

[WoodlandWoman]

I would never feed mainly fodder to my chickens. It doesn't have all the nutrition they need. They aren't ruminants. It should be a supplement to their diet. As a supplement, it makes them healthier.

I free feed their layer feed, in addition to everything else they eat. This time of year, they eat very little of it. They're getting a lot of insects and worms this time of year, in addition to the grass, leafy greens and legumes in the pasture. We have an abundance of insects, because we're in the woods. If I let them choose, they eat what they need.

They need a certain amount of balanced protein to maintain their bodies and also to produce an egg, in addition to the other nutrients needed.

 

[chickenman111]

I'm sorry I didn't specify I'm feeding fodder as a supplement to layer feed, forgot to put that in.

Thanks

 

[WoodlandWoman]

I'm sorry. When you said you were mainly feeding them fodder, I thought you were restricting their feed too much. I've read a couple of people's posts that sounded like they thought chickens could live on fodder alone. That's one of those "too much of a good thing" situations.

Are you free feeding the layer feed? Or giving them a set amount? Do you have any idea of how much layer feed they're eating a day, by weight? That would give us a better idea of whether they're eating enough of it. Are you giving them any other types of food, like scratch or other things?

I would guess that they are not eating enough of the layer feed.

If you are restricting how much layer feed they are getting, I would offer more or free feed it temporarily.

If they are over eating the grass on their own, it may be only a temporary problem. They may be craving nutrients they were missing. They should get over that on their own and go back to eating a more balanced diet soon.

It's always possible that something else is coincidentally going on at the same time that's affecting their laying. Has anything else changed recently? If the only recent change is their diet, then it probably is diet related.

 

[chickenman111]

Their eating about 2 to 2 and a half lbs of feed. Also they have been regrowing feathers on their backs. they have bare backs (rough roosters) and since they have been eating the fodder they've been regrowing their feathers. Thanks