Not all my hens are laying, and now it's summer.

[Burgeoning Chicken Mom]

I have eight Barnevelder hens, and two of them might be bantams. They're due for summer molt soon. Six eggs were the maximum. I suspect bullying in the flock or just disliking the food. I can't tell who consistently lays or why. There have been eight eggs only twice since they matured. Giving them meat makes more eggs, but not always.

There's been a decrease lately (only one egg today), but it's summer. Thanks to my brother, they are on week two of Grasshopperfest with organic grass as a snack. Because they'll raze the garden in our little yard, they don't free-range.

A few months back, I replaced layer crumble with homemade feed. That is accompanied by two bowls of fresh cuisine (garden greens/meat, beans/pasta, meat only, pasta/greens, etc.) with dried herbs for laying. When I realized there were too many starch days, I decreased those.

Your feedback is appreciated.

 

[nuthatched]

What exactly are you feeding your birds? what recipe are you using?
It's normal for hens to slow down in summer.

(garden greens/meat, beans/pasta, meat only, pasta/greens, etc.) with dried herbs for laying.

Herbs do not cause or encourage laying, that far beyond their useful capacity.
Cut out all this stuff, it's not helpful for them

 

[Jener8or]

I have eight Barnevelder hens, and two of them might be bantams. They're due for summer molt soon. Six eggs were the maximum. I suspect bullying in the flock or just disliking the food. I can't tell who consistently lays or why. There have been eight eggs only twice since they matured. Giving them meat makes more eggs, but not always.

There's been a decrease lately (only one egg today), but it's summer. Thanks to my brother, they are on week two of Grasshopperfest with organic grass as a snack. Because they'll raze the garden in our little yard, they don't free-range.

A few months back, I replaced layer crumble with homemade feed. That is accompanied by two bowls of fresh cuisine (garden greens/meat, beans/pasta, meat only, pasta/greens, etc.) with dried herbs for laying. When I realized there were too many starch days, I decreased those.

Your feedback is appreciated.

Hi again!

I would try switching back to a layer feed or an all flock feed with oyster shell on the side (ideal if you keep any males since they don't need the extra calcium of a layer feed). It will be balanced and the ideal diet for consistent layers and top health for the chicken. I would also eliminate treats for awhile or keep it to less than 10% of their diet.

There are lots of threads here with advice on how to make your own feed, but all the experts here usually advise against it since it is really hard to nail all the vital micro and macro nutrients and poultry feed is already made specifically for them already, but I totally understand your intentions!

That would just be my suggestion to try. Sometimes they lay less from stress (so if it's hot or bullying or they're broody or too many males vs. females, etc.) so those would be something to keep into account as well.

I hope they get back on track for you!

 

[Jener8or]

Are you getting 6 eggs from 8 hens per day now? I think that's a pretty darn good average number, or what is your average now? It sounds like you know, but they won't lay during a molt and will usually start molting in the fall.

 

[Mother of Chaos]

I have eight Barnevelder hens, and two of them might be bantams. They're due for summer molt soon. Six eggs were the maximum. I suspect bullying in the flock or just disliking the food. I can't tell who consistently lays or why. There have been eight eggs only twice since they matured. Giving them meat makes more eggs, but not always.

There's been a decrease lately (only one egg today), but it's summer. Thanks to my brother, they are on week two of Grasshopperfest with organic grass as a snack. Because they'll raze the garden in our little yard, they don't free-range.

A few months back, I replaced layer crumble with homemade feed. That is accompanied by two bowls of fresh cuisine (garden greens/meat, beans/pasta, meat only, pasta/greens, etc.) with dried herbs for laying. When I realized there were too many starch days, I decreased those.

Your feedback is appreciated.

A couple of basic questions:

What feed (brand and variety) were you using before switching to homemade? What was the protein %?

Completely understand about the small backyard! How big is your run, and how big is the coop? Are there things to do in the run? (Tree limbs to climb on, high outdoor perches, etc.) Just like us, chickens need to get away from one another at times.

 

[Burgeoning Chicken Mom]

Are you getting 6 eggs from 8 hens per day now? I think that's a pretty darn good average number, or what is your average now? It sounds like you know, but they won't lay during a molt and will usually start molting in the fall.

There are six eggs at the most. Usually there are three to five eggs a day. If there are five or more in a day, the next day will have much less.

 

[Burgeoning Chicken Mom]

What exactly are you feeding your birds? what recipe are you using?
It's normal for hens to slow down in summer.

Herbs do not cause or encourage laying, that far beyond their useful capacity.
Cut out all this stuff, it's not helpful for them

https://gardenbetty.com/garden-bettys-homemade-whole-grain-chicken-feed/

Minus a few things I don't have but adding a cup of barley...

 

[Burgeoning Chicken Mom]

A couple of basic questions:

What feed (brand and variety) were you using before switching to homemade? What was the protein %?

Completely understand about the small backyard! How big is your run, and how big is the coop? Are there things to do in the run? (Tree limbs to climb on, high outdoor perches, etc.) Just like us, chickens need to get away from one another at times.

I used IFA All Natural+ Layer Crumble with 18% protein. The coop and run total about 70 sq. ft. (half and half with limbs, perches, toys), and there's an 18-inch high run extension beneath the coop.

 

[nuthatched]

https://gardenbetty.com/garden-bettys-homemade-whole-grain-chicken-feed/

Minus a few things I don't have but adding a cup of barley...

Oh dear.
Gardenbettys recipes are awful and have zero nutritional backing in the recipes. The math isn't even right for her estimates.
If you want to make your own feed, look up Justin Rhodes.
Get your birds back onto a formulated feed until you get a good recipe that you can make with all the ingredients . :]

 

[Burgeoning Chicken Mom]

Oh dear.
Gardenbettys recipes are awful and have zero nutritional backing in the recipes. The math isn't even right for her estimates.
If you want to make your own feed, look up Justin Rhodes.
Get your birds back onto a formulated feed until you get a good recipe that you can make with all the ingredients . :]

Thank you, and I like what I've seen of Justin's advice so far!