Chickens are working their magic!

[curly_kate]

We fenced off our garden and the chickens have been set free! My wonderful neighbor gave me a scoop of well-aged cow manure that I dumped onto the beds. The chickens have taken those big clumps and turned them into a fine mulch. I think they were getting bored in their old digs, so they have been happily scratching and pecking through the beds. It's good that they're doing something because they are in a molt & haven't been giving us much in the way of eggs. It's been about 3 months now - any ideas when they'll come out of it? I know we'll be getting fewer eggs since it's winter, but I'm hoping we'll get more than 1-2 eggs out of 10 chickens!

 

[4grandbabies]

Curly, this is second hand info, but my grandson gives his cayanne pepper in their water . He thinks this helps with a lot of things, especially when they slack laying because of cold temps.

 

[PunkinPeep]

That might be a better question for BYC, but i remember reading that higher protein during a molt helps them not to drain their nutritional resources - and i imagine to molt more efficiently. Scrambled/boiled eggs, etc., can help boost their protein. I have a friend who had success with calf manna - also a good protein source.

 

[lesa]

I have 24 chickens, just over a year old and I am getting between 4 and 9 eggs a day. So, I feel your pain! I have added a few hours of extra light in the am, but I don't think it is doing much...Well, it is cold, dark and miserable- can't say that I blame them! They do love to scratch in the dirt, don't they! I let them in my garden last fall, and they proceeded to dig up all my garlic!!! I always say a day in the garden is a perfect chicken day, for them. I can almost see them smiling!! Think spring!

 

[obsessed]

Try ducks! I have 5 that have pretty much laid an egg every day since they started! The days that they didn't lay I think the dog got to the eggs before me :/

 

[4grandbabies]

I have heard that playing Mozart in the hen house will increase egg laying, so decided to see if anyone had tried it, here is a link:
http://www.usc.edu/CSSF/History/2006/Projects/J1904.pdf

 

[journey11]

Chickens are ultimate gardeners (when it's toward their own ends!) I like to topdress my blackberries with compost, but almost immediately they go to and sling it everywhere to get the worms and other tasty bugs out. I raked it back on thinking they'd probably got them all and would leave it alone--nope they tossed it all off again.

Now when it comes to my compost pile though, they do me great favors by turning it. Like you said, they just pulverize it. Then it is ready for me to scoop up and put on the blackberries and garden....

On laying--I had a 40watt lightbulb set to come on at 3am for fall and I got about 3 eggs a day from 14 hens through November, then when it got really cold, I switched to a red 250watt heat bulb throughout the whole night and now I get about 5 a day.

 

[simple life]

A moult can last quite a while, mine started at the beginning of the summer and are just now finished with it.
They have nice glossy feathers for the winter but they looked a mess while they were going through it.
I upped their protein to help them out, but they won't be laying eggs during a moult and really shouldn't be, they need those resources to grow their feathers.
They also need the break from laying eggs too, moults are their way of rejuvinating their bodies so I don't recommend giving them anything to make them start laying aside from protein to help them regrow their feathers.
Its their natural break, as is not laying in the winter.
I have 50 hens and went from three dozen eggs a day to 4 eggs per day during this moult and the combination of lesser daylight hours.
I don't put lights in my coop, winter is their natural break.
I still get a few hearty souls that lay all winter long no matter what but that is of their own doing.
I don't know if this is theory or fact but they say if you force them to lay unnaturally then you can expect them to burn out sooner than they normally would as it uses up their resources.
Perhaps like humans they are born with only so many eggs for their lifetime.
My feeling is that the ones that are just getting over the moults probably won't lay well this winter since their moults are ending when daylight is shorter.

 

[curly_kate]

Thanks for all the info! I didn't realize a moult could last so long! We've upped their protein, but I'm of the opinion that they just need to do what comes naturally, so I won't worry about it (DH, on the other hand, wants to use lights on them. I'd rather not spend the $$ on the electricity).

Lesa, I had the same problem with garlic last year. They avoid the wild onions that grow in the yard, so I figured they wouldn't bother the garlic. Won't make that mistake again!

 

[simple life]

I was surprised how long it lasted as well. I am glad its finally over, until the younger batch goes through it.
I feel the same way about spending the money on the extra electricity for anything that isn't a necessity.
Some say it doesn't do any harm but I am of the mind to just let them be.
I had a hen get in my garden and eat all the tops off my garlic and dig up a few bulbs, I hope she had heartburn!