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Author Topic: Mental Warfare - with laying hens  (Read 8171 times)

Offline GSF

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Mental Warfare - with laying hens
« on: November 17, 2014, 10:30:40 pm »
I know I can, I know I can, I know I can..,

Okay, so I have about 18-20 laying hens. I'm getting about 5 eggs a day. A couple of days ago I extended their daylight hours by running a cord to the chicken house and putting a drop light inside. I cut it on around 4:45am till daylight then dusk to around 8pm. The first day I did that I got 3 eggs, that's right 3 stinking eggs! I cleaned their house out and I got a whopping 9. Next day 5 or 6 which is the norm.

Now they are going through a molt and we have cold weather. Plenty food, water, and free range most all day in the woods. (what does the fox say? Yum!) They turn a year old last spring. Is this normal behavior? Any advice?
When the law no longer protects you from the corrupt, but protects the corrupt from you - then you know your nation is doomed.

Offline Kathyp

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Re: Mental Warfare - with laying hens
« Reply #1 on: November 17, 2014, 11:28:17 pm »
it is normal.  they will start to pick up again toward the end of February when the days begin to lengthen.  you can get more out of them by doing the light thing.  i don't.  i figure there is a reason they take a break, so i let them.

if you are going to leave the lights on be sure the give some oyster shell or some other calcium source besides the regular feed.

i have about the same number of hens and get from 3 to 6 eggs a day.
Someone really ought to tell them that the world of Ayn Rand?s novel was not meant to be aspirational.

Offline BeeMaster2

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Re: Mental Warfare - with laying hens
« Reply #2 on: November 18, 2014, 01:07:47 am »
Gary,
My wife has about 35 chickens and we are getting between 3 to 4 dozen a week. During the summer we were getting as many as 11 to 12 dozen a week.
Jim
Democracy is 2 wolves and a lamb voting on what to have for lunch. Liberty is a well armed lamb contesting the vote.
Ben Franklin

Offline GSF

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Re: Mental Warfare - with laying hens
« Reply #3 on: November 18, 2014, 05:53:50 am »
Jim

some how or 'nuther, Cathy's post makes me feel better about my efforts  :)
When the law no longer protects you from the corrupt, but protects the corrupt from you - then you know your nation is doomed.

Offline BeeMaster2

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Re: Mental Warfare - with laying hens
« Reply #4 on: November 18, 2014, 12:04:22 pm »
Jim

some how or 'nuther, Cathy's post makes me feel better about my efforts  :)
Gary,
If you do the math, I am getting less eggs per chicken than you are.
Jim
Democracy is 2 wolves and a lamb voting on what to have for lunch. Liberty is a well armed lamb contesting the vote.
Ben Franklin

Offline GSF

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Re: Mental Warfare - with laying hens
« Reply #5 on: November 18, 2014, 12:40:57 pm »
One of these days I'll pay attention before I post something..,
When the law no longer protects you from the corrupt, but protects the corrupt from you - then you know your nation is doomed.

Offline BeeMaster2

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Re: Mental Warfare - with laying hens
« Reply #6 on: November 18, 2014, 12:52:25 pm »
One of these days I'll pay attention before I post something..,
:)
Democracy is 2 wolves and a lamb voting on what to have for lunch. Liberty is a well armed lamb contesting the vote.
Ben Franklin

Offline Kathyp

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Re: Mental Warfare - with laying hens
« Reply #7 on: November 18, 2014, 04:25:31 pm »
some of my chickens are kind of old so i'm not sure you should feel better. I think i still have 2 from the original flock and they would be over 4 years old.  the rest are between 6 months and 3 years old.
Someone really ought to tell them that the world of Ayn Rand?s novel was not meant to be aspirational.

Offline RC

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Re: Mental Warfare - with laying hens
« Reply #8 on: November 18, 2014, 08:46:48 pm »
Let chickens be chickens. They'll come around in the spring.

Offline 10framer

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Re: Mental Warfare - with laying hens
« Reply #9 on: November 25, 2014, 01:54:44 pm »
gary,
shorter days and molting will slow them down.  my marans haven't put out in a couple of weeks but my dominiques, easter eggers and ameraucanas are still laying.  i have maybe 15 hens and 7 roosters (it changes from day to day, sometimes they visit the neighbors and sometimes his stay with mine) and i let them free range and feed them once a day.  i combine laying mash, scratching grains and oyster shell (sometimes they get sunflower seeds) and right now i'm averaging 4 eggs a day and some of my older birds are molting so they are probably not laying either.  in the fall i was getting 2-3 dozen a week from these birds consisently,now it's about 1-2 dozen. 
what kind of birds do you have?   

Offline GSF

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Re: Mental Warfare - with laying hens
« Reply #10 on: November 25, 2014, 02:05:33 pm »
I (my wife) have/has;

White leggons, silver laced wings, barred rock, Rhode Island reds, and another I can't think of the name. It has a light red color.
When the law no longer protects you from the corrupt, but protects the corrupt from you - then you know your nation is doomed.

Offline GSF

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Re: Mental Warfare - with laying hens
« Reply #11 on: November 26, 2014, 08:55:17 am »
Okay, they scored again. About two days ago I took the light out. We went from 3 to 5 eggs to 10. It could have very well been the sunflower seeds we started feeding them. We were told it would help them through their molt better because of the protein boost.
When the law no longer protects you from the corrupt, but protects the corrupt from you - then you know your nation is doomed.

Offline Kathyp

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Re: Mental Warfare - with laying hens
« Reply #12 on: November 26, 2014, 02:58:02 pm »
keep the calcium up.  i was mixing scratch with the layer because we got so cold, but i'd run out of oyster shell.  when i got more and added it back, the production went up right away.
Someone really ought to tell them that the world of Ayn Rand?s novel was not meant to be aspirational.

Offline GSF

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Re: Mental Warfare - with laying hens
« Reply #13 on: November 26, 2014, 04:03:36 pm »
We always feed their egg shells back to them. Probably don't feed enough ground oyster shells though.
When the law no longer protects you from the corrupt, but protects the corrupt from you - then you know your nation is doomed.

Offline 10framer

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Re: Mental Warfare - with laying hens
« Reply #14 on: November 28, 2014, 02:01:42 pm »
i put my shells and my coffee grinds into my compost pile.  oyster shell is cheap and a back lasts a long time. it definitely seems to make a difference.

Offline GSF

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Re: Mental Warfare - with laying hens
« Reply #15 on: November 29, 2014, 07:28:38 am »
Big score, we got 12 eggs yesterday. I think the feed we were giving them was lacking in protein. We fed them a ton of turkey scraps the day before and I figure they may have got a protein boast from that.
When the law no longer protects you from the corrupt, but protects the corrupt from you - then you know your nation is doomed.

Offline Kathyp

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Re: Mental Warfare - with laying hens
« Reply #16 on: November 29, 2014, 01:02:20 pm »
Quote
oyster shell is cheap and a back lasts a long time.

I get it in 50lb bags and just mix a handful in feed every few days.  i don't do it every day.  maybe 3 to 4 times a week.
Someone really ought to tell them that the world of Ayn Rand?s novel was not meant to be aspirational.

Offline 10framer

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Re: Mental Warfare - with laying hens
« Reply #17 on: November 29, 2014, 11:05:56 pm »
kathy, i was mixing in a handful a day and i've cut back recently because there is plenty of it scattered around the feeder.  once i started using it my production definitely went up.