How to raise Backyard Chickens: Re: [CHICKENS-101] Re: how to identify a hen who does not lay well

Rita, The animal protein and extra nutrition is provided by the turkey grower. When the weather turns hot I'll have an 18% made. They also do well on 20% broiler in the summer, no grain. For the hen laying softshell eggs, you can add poultry vitamins with minerals to their water and see if it makes a difference. Wheat helps make good shells on eggs. Oyster shell on the side in their dish or in a separate dish. What are you feeding the 8 week olds? Non medicated chick? You can feed all chick if you want. Once the weather gets hot I drop feed, with animal protien down to 18-20%. You can mix 22% turkey/gamebird grower with 16% layer 50/50 when the weather is warmer out.

    Cathryn  rainbowsilkiesTM  in  Michigan

From: Rita <ritabohn2001@yahoo.com>
To: CHICKENS-101@yahoogroups.com
Sent: Tuesday, April 23, 2013 5:50 PM
Subject: [CHICKENS-101] Re: how to identify a hen who does not lay well

Curious about the turkey grower - never thought about that before. Tell me more. My hens get regular layer food, plus lots of scrapes - we use to get the ends from a wheat milling place, but they are no longer open. The girls LOVED the wheat. They also get scratch. In the winter when there aren't bugs - they get meat scraps now and then. In the winter not only do they have a light on, which is on a timer. They also have a small heater for those days/nights that get below 0. We also do what we can to get them out of their run in the winter - like shoveling snow for them. I have 1-4yr old and 1 that is 3. One of those lays a very soft shell egg while on the roost. The 3 yr olds get into the nest all the time, and nothing happens. I also have 2 that are 2 and 5 that are 1 plus 5 that are 8 weeks. Not sure I could really put any of them down - but when the babies are bigger it's going to be cozy on the roost and in the 3 nesting boxes.

Thanks for all your wonderful ideas
Rita

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