new chicken owner...?

Question

now that my chickens are starting to lay eggs.. should i do anything different from when they were chicks.. i feed them, water them and let them out to roam my yard for a few hours a day.. plus i give them there favorite left overs.. (veggies only).. i want more eggs to eat.. not more chicks.. thank you in advance..

wow such answers! thank you for those who are giving real answers.. i do not have roosters.. whats does oyster shells do?

Answer 1

get laying mash from you local farmers supply store and get oyster shells. Oyster shells are full of calcium and make the shells of the eggs stronger and prevents the chickens from eating eachothers feathers.

Answer 2

Chickens are one of the easiest pets to raise. They need food,water and protection from the elements . They need a coop for shelter that has a door to shut them in at night so critters don't get them. They need water daily because they have no way of perspiring ie they don't sweat.Chicken will eat only what they like. They will pick at anything you throw to them but that doesn't mean they will eat it.Chickens only lay one egg a day usually,sometimes every other day. If you don't want chicks, gather the eggs daily and watch out for the broody hen. She will set on any eggs, any time. A rooster is the culprit. If you don't want fertile eggs, don't keep any roosters.

Answer 3

Hi there. Extra protein and calcium will help your chickens thrive. Let them rest well in the winter. That is when egg laying slows down due to the short light periods. Oyster shells are high in calcium. Barnyardchickens.com has great information you will enjoy and benefit from. Have a great year. I definitely would buy eggs from you because of your thoughtfulness

Answer 4

Serious Answer:

WHAT CHICKENS NEED (It's simple!)
1. Grains (whole, living grains are way better than cracked, and a mixture is way better than pure corn)
2. Greens (grass! weeds! fresh veggie parings from kitchen!)
3. Protein (in summer, they get enough bugs -- but in colder weather they need protein supplementation, including perhaps the following: yellow-jackets from restaurant traps, soybeans -- see below, worms, milk, meat --- but sea fish is the very best)


And WATER, WATER, WATER.

Chickens won't always search far for food or water. Sometimes they won't even go around a see-through fence to get it. And they need lots of water, especially when laying. We put the water dish right by the door of their coop, where they can get it every time they go by. They can die of salt toxicity in a few hours if not given water at all times. They will shun dirty water, so make a point to keep it fresh using the BAMN method (By Any Means Necessary).

If they're Fenceless Free Range, that's about it. But if you keep them penned up most or all of the time, even in a largish yard, you will also need to make sure they get . . .

4. Hard grit (do not confuse this with oyster shell or calcium --- these dissolve in the chicken's digestive system, grit does not --- grit is used in place of "teeth"); quartz-based sand with angular edges (not rounded, as often is found in riverbeds) can be collected wherever you find it.

5. Calcium (crushed oyster shell, other shells, ground or hammered bone) (There's lots of calcium in greens, if they get to forage all day.)

6. Vitamins A (and D if the weather is cloudy for long stretches)

7. Salt (best given separately, free choice; kelp is the very supreme choice for this, if you can get it --- it supplies all the minerals in the world --- see below)

Answer 5

Once they are ready to lay, you start to feed them a laying feed, which is higher in calcium. You can actually crush up their eggshells and feed them to them - but make sure they're unrecognizeable as eggs or they will develop egg canibalizing habits. By the way, your eggs will be more nutritious if you fertilize their foraging ground with a well-balanced organic fertilizer, since the plants the bugs eat will contain adequate mineral levels, and then of course the eggs will inherit some of that nutrition.

Answer 6

I can't believe the answers you got to this question!
Anyway, as a chicken owner, I supplement their diet with 'egg maker'. You can get it at Walmart and/or feed store.
Lighting is very important for egg production. With daylight getting longer, they should lay more eggs than during winter.
Also, if a chicken lays one egg a day, that's GOOD. Most chickens will produce ca. 300 - 350 eggs per year, in their first year. As the hens get older, the egg production gets less.
My best education about raising chickens came from a simple book I got at the feed store: how to raise chickens. It's full of good info if you're interested in learning more.

Answer 7

I agree with "Do you have time..." you need to give them Layer feed. You go to the farm or feed store and tell them you need layer feed. it's a sort of pellets that contain extra calcium and vitamins they need while laying. I have laying hens and that's what I feed them besides chicken scratch (corn/wheat).
Also if you live close to a seashore like I do (and not too close to big city) they love seaweeds. I bring them a bag and cut it up in small pieces and they gobble it up. It's very healthy for them, contains lots of minerals they need.
Let them eat grass and bugs in your yard and they'll be happy.
And fresh eggs are Awesome! you can taste AND see the difference.

Answer 8

that could desire to be large! i could advise "Bantam" chickens of any breed, yet silkies are the toughest to look after. Bantams are a miniature length rooster, so as that they do no longer consume lots or take in lots room. you're able to in all probability purchase chicks so as that they are friendlier to you and your loved ones, yet they are going to wish a "Brooder container". it extremely is basically a container packed with pine shavings with a warmth lamp, nutrition, and water. save them at approximately seventy 5 stages for the 1st 2 weeks, then decrease it 5 stages a week after that. it extremely is lots greater straightforward than it sounds! Chickens make very staggering and friendly pets, and could be skilled back once you call. wish I truthfully have been of a few help!

Answer 9

Like all females,they can only produce so many eggs.Hopefully you check the yard every day. The can drop them out there.No rooster,no chicks

Answer 10

Crushed oyster shells.