*OFF GRID WITH DOUG & STACY* RU-vid channel just put up a video today Jan. 26, 2023, about Tractor Supply's chicken feed actually causing chickens to STOP LAYING. Off Grid With Doug & Stacy have a million subscribers & they've been sharing for many years now about off grid life & farm animal info so their video today is legit about the TSC chicken feed!
This was a very extensive project and very glad it had worked for you. I'm a novice at chickens. I've had many free range but have never had to go to these lengths to get them to lay. Did you take them off of your mixture and then fed them only tractor supply food and run this experiment. I'm asking because I've seen many videos on this subject and the people are sure that it is tractor supply feed that is the problem. Very curious. Thank you for your video
Mike Adams, the creator/owner of Brighteon and also a Food Scientist, will be having a very informative show coming out soon. Check him out. Anyone can join. Censorship free.
Last week I watched a video by Poplar Preparedness that said Tractor Supply changed the chicken feed formula for Producers Pride and Dumor due to supply shortages and many many people whose chickens were eating this feed stopped laying. My sister was using Producers Pride and her girls stopped laying until she switched to another brand.
@@CrosbyGoinDown When is the last time you bought it? My understanding is this is a recent change. My girls' production went down after I started a new bag of the organic Dumour from TS.
Soybean meal is part of the problem, especially if it is GMO. I know I will probably get several messages from people who use soy for their chickens, and good for them, but it affects chicken's hormones and is the most likely reason that the Tractor Supply feed is causing chickens to stop laying. Perhaps the soybean meal you got is a higher quality (non-GMO) than what TS is currently using. I prefer to use black sunflower seed as the protein component for homemade feed. It is much more natural for chickens and does not affect their hormones. I'm sure adding the light helped increase production. I have not had to resort to that, but I don't fault anyone for doing what they have to do in their own situation. Another question is have your younger chickens started laying yet? Perhaps I missed something in the video, but it was unclear to me whether the younger chickens had been laying and then stopped or they just haven't started laying yet? A lot really depends on the breed and when you got them because some chickens will not start laying if they mature in the Winter. I'm sure you know some breeds lay less in the Winter. For Winter laying, I've had good luck with ISA Brown, Plymouth Barred Rocks, Wyandottes, Australorp, and Easter Eggers. There are also several others I have researched that are good for Winter laying, such as CA Whites. Are your older birds Dominiques? They are also good Winter layers. What breed or breeds are your younger birds? That could be the difference if they are breeds that tend not to lay in the Winter. Best of luck in increasing your egg production!
Yes, several other channels have reported on this as well, like Off-grid with Doug and Stacy. I totally don't trust Tractor Supply after the whole drag queen story hour for children debacle, so I have found a local organic supplier and will no longer be shopping at TS.
I also recommend fermenting chicken feed which isn't crumbles or pellets. It makes the food more digestible, naturally adds probiotics and increases vitamin levels, and doubles the mass of the feed (which also saves money). We're going soy-free, too. No more cheap TSC feed here, as like hundreds of other chicken owners we experienced a steep drop in egg production in the summer of 2022 - not sure why this happened but people all over the country reported the same thing. Changed the feed and BOOM the eggs are rollin'!
Words out now about tainted chicken feeds.. including the producers pride (shown here) and dumar brands. I use organic whole grains - soy free, and soak/ferment, also add natural supplements.. milk, herbs, molasses, worms, food scraps.. Excellent results, happy chickens! 🌻
@@novembersunflower968 I have had chickens my entire life born into farming and took over my dads flock at 13 years old we go to a local feed mill we get a feed they call 11 percent multigrain its basically oats barley sunflower seed alfalfa pellets and corn. I like to ferment the feed I'm a firm believer in fermented feed I ferment my hog feed also seems like everything likes fermented feed I also add alittle red cell to the feed and mix it in good. If we have table scraps the chickens get those also I do slow down on eggs in the winter months still but have enough hens that I get enough eggs for a family of 6 year round through the summer months we incubate some and sell what we wont eat ourselves.
@kprop Fermenting is so easy! If you have whole scratch grains/seeds/peas all you need do is add them to a container (I use 1/2 gallon canning jar and add about 2 cups mix for our 9 chickens) and then fill the rest up with nonchlorinated water. We are on a well so no chlorine. If you are on city water give your water at least 24 hours to off gas before using it. The chlorine will kill the good bacteria on the grains/seeds and they won't ferment properly. I then cover the jar with a seed sprouter lid and let it sit for at least 24 hours. Lately I've been going for 30 to 36 hours so the whole peas and whole corn have a longer time to soak up liquids. If you don't have a canning jar and sprouter lid you can use about any food safe plastic container with a loose cover or canning lids as long as it is on loosely to allow gasses to escape. You just don't want bugs getting in. Heat speeds up the fermentation process. It will appear bubbly and have a slightly yeasty smell to it. Make SURE everything is under the liquid as any floaters will be at risk to mold and ruin the fermentation. You could probably dump it into a dish at this point and feed with the liquid. It's probably loaded with good probiotics. I prefer to dump it into a colander, give a quick rinse and then dump into a tray. If you are fermenting a feed that has whole grains or other whole seeds and also powdered vitamins you can use the same process, though I wouldn't ferment it for more than a day. You could start the soak in the evening and use it the next morning and would use only enough water to cover the feed. Once again, try to make sure there are no floaters though this is not as crucial if only soaking overnight (less than 12 hours). It will turn in to a sort of "mash" like runny cooked oatmeal. On cold days (below 45 degrees) I've found it's generally ok to leave the food in the dish for a day or two. I wouldn't leave it for longer than that because it can spoil and make your birds sick. Also, if it warms up to above 45 I wouldn't leave it for more than one day. Lastly you can soak pellets or crumbles. I use crumbles and simply add enough water to make it into a mash. I don't let it soak (maybe I should!), but the hens seem to love it and prefer it to the dry. There is a substance referred to as"anti-nutrient" contained in seeds (even in flour that was not soaked) that inhibits the uptake of nutrients in our gut (bird and human) that is broken down when the flour/seed is soaked. It's great for humans, too! I'm guessing by adding water to their mash and as it is sitting out during the day it breaks down that anti-nutrient and starts the ferment process. It really depends on the good bacteria present on the ground seeds in the crumble or pellet as to how well this works. It's part of why GMO's are so dangerous. They are changing the soil biome and killing the good bacteria at the root zone. If you aren't sure how well this method is working for you with only water, then using an acid base would probably be a good idea. Also, I have used black oil sunflower seeds (the kind in big bags for wild birds) that are still in the shell. I do this in the house where it is above 64 degrees F. I soak them for a day in a 1/2 gallon jar with a tight fitting lid and a couple times that day will turn the jar upside down to avoid mold. (The seeds tend to float). The next day I put a sprouter lid on the jar, drain the water and rinse until the water runs clear. Then I drain the liquid, set the jar on its side and watch for the emergence of the root. For the next two to three days I rinse it once a day until the roots appear (little white things) and are about 1/8 to 1/4 inch long. I give it a final rinse, dump it into a tray (or you could broadcast it in your yard if that is how you prefer to feed) and set it out. My Australorps have figured out how to crack the seeds open (easy to do once they begin to sprout) and leave the shells. My other girls are still learning and will swallow them whole. Either way, it turns it into a living food. One last thing and that is fermenting for humans. You mentioned using an acid like buttermilk or yogurt (I'm guessing like for flour?) Have you ever looked in to fermenting fresh veggies? It's awesome and through an even simpler method called "lacto fermentation" - just some good salt and some good water! Check out "Off Grid With Doug and Stacy" and type "Fermenting" in the search bar on their channel. She has a TON of fermenting vids for people and gives great instructions. She's big on a particular company's salt, but I found Celtic Sea salt or pink Himalayan salt is just as good, less expensive and easier to come by.
@kprop I put everything that I want to ferment into a mesh bag (I'm using food safe bags used for making nut milk) and put that into a half gallon Mason jar. The mesh bag really keeps the food under water and prevents mold. Fill it most of the way with room temperature water and put a fermentation airlock on top and put it in a closet for 3 days. No need to add culture! Then in 3 days open it up and scoop out the goodies (it doubles in volume). If you want, you can keep a half cup of liquid to add to the next batch (kind of like a sourdough starter). As far as what to ferment, there are many good recipes and guidelines on RU-vid. We use organic ingredients: wheatberries, unhulled barley, split green peas, sunflower seeds and New Country Organics layer feed . I'll also sometimes add bird seed to it. After fermenting, we add flax seeds and brewers yeast into the mix before serving it.
The secret in the chicken feed industry is that it takes a MINIMUM of 16% protein for them to lay eggs. If you boost that higher you get better results. Soak black oil sunflower seeds in water overnight then drain it and allow the seeds to sprout green in the bucket (3-4 days). You’ll get much much higher protein and they’ll absolutely hammer it. Still need to give them free choice calcium/oyster shell.
My chickens molt in early fall and stop laying at that time. I read that growing feathers requires a lot of protein, but from my observation it also requires a lot of effort on their part to groom and remove old feathers. They stay inside almost the entire time that they molt. I just decided to let them go through their cycles and rest.
I have raised chickens for years. I generally find that after the winter solstice, December 21, the laying picks up. I encourage you to not force the laying too much as the girls need a break in order to stay healthy. Just my two cents. Lol
I have two sets of chickens and I always have 1st year layer going into the winter so they just keep laying and start new birds every early spring so I always have young birds laying and the older birds are just a bonus and after one set gets to there second winter they go to the soup pot
I have 13 hens and I get 6 to 12 eggs daily. (11 yesterday, Feb 12, 2023) I make my feed (w blk oil sunflower seeds, not soy) and give them a few collard green leaves every day. Plus intermittent treats of mealworms, peanuts, salmon & sweet pot cat food. I throw in a sweet pot or winter squash now and then. They come running whenever I come their way and that makes me happy. I believe happy chickens provide eggs. Simple old lady here but I have so many eggs that I have to sell some. 😳 Oh well. 🤣
My hens are still laying & I'm getting 12-13/day. They free range when the weather is nice. We're having a warm January, so we've let them out often. Egg production went down one week, then went back to normal. Right now, we're using corn, wheat, laying pellets & oyster shells. We mixed the shell pieces right in with their feed. If you notice they don't want it, mix it with the feed. I also give them kitchen scraps. If you have any squash or pumpkin, they love the seeds, etc. I also talk toy chickens, & feed them bread as a treat. I think chickens are happier if you talk to them & pet them.
Do you know what is really sad? Chickens like humans don't and shouldn't eat grain. Yet here we are pretending that diets including soy is somehow normal and healthy? ITS JUST SUGARS. Chickens like humans are carnivores that can supplement with plants.
Chickens need 15 hours of light a day to keep laying,i used to have about 400 chickens,i put a timed light in their house,they went in at dusk,but into light,for a few extra hours,they keep laying,but id give them 4 to 6 weeks rest before spring and full egg production.I'd feed layers pellet in the morning,then corn before bed,corn keeps their crops full longer and keeps them warmer overnight.
Always interested to a 'make your own'. I am researching how the farmer/homesteader fed their chickens way back in the day from 1600 till 1800, as I do, I find it was mostly scraps, left over garden, etc. I have experienced with making rice, corn bread, mashed avacado, sweet potatoes, powder greens and some dehydrated fruit I have done, with the calcium powder I make from the egg shells I have. With winter and the slow of laying, which is almost nothing just now, I am looking forward to warmer and longer days to see how this will work. Thanks for sharing. In Joy
I have heard mixed opinions on giving hens avocados (the fruit). I know the pit/seed is a big no-no, but the fruit? Interested in yours and other people's thoughts and opinions.
I made my own chicken feed with 50 lbs wheat, 50 lbs, oats, 50 lbs milo, 50 pounds cracked corn, 50 pounds black sunflower seed and table scraps. They also have to their access 24 hrs a day 50 gallons fresh water kept unfrozen with heater. I went from zero eggs a day to 21 eggs a day from my 21 girls!!!!! They are wonderful and I am so very proud of them!!!!
I've raised chickens for over 25 years now. I also raise ducks too. Chickens need a natural break from pushing eggs out. That's why mother nature has it when Winter comes, the days get shorter. Chickens need a certain amount of sunlight to produce eggs. It's not natural or healthy to the chicken to force it to lay eggs. Chickens need breaks from producing eggs. Lights will increase egg production, but it's not good to force chickens to lay eggs when they should be taking a break. Also, if any feathers, straw, hay, or mulch gets on that light in the coop, you won't be getting eggs, you'll be getting fried chicken. It's not a good idea to alter chickens laying cycles.
I have been thinking it's the food for a while but not with any particular type. I started back paying more attention to what I give them or lack of what I wasn't giving them with the feed. I started mixing in the food oyster shells, chick grit, grains and diatomaceous earth. You know all the things you did when you first got chickens and wanted to do everything right. You know the things you did before you got too confident with how well you were doing raising chickens (maybe that was just me lol). I also started putting a little hot water in my feed. It takes less food because 1. They get more nutrients that way 2. They don't waste as much throwing it around. We are getting back to normal around here and it's such a relief!!!! I fully feel that many factors are taking place here. Supply chain causing feed to become contaminated more, companies using cheaper ingredients, and experiments with "suitable indicator assessing feed efficiency, residual feed intake (RFI)". God bless and let's stick together Together with stand divided we fall
I am in Arizona and we have plenty of light even in the winter. I was using tractor supply food and we had zero eggs. I started with a different brand that is not sold by tractor supply nor is it related to purina and I’m sorry I can’t think of the name of it right now. I get it at Ace Hardware. we also supplement with our food scraps and a free range. About a week after changing the food we started getting eggs. From the amount of trouble everyone is having with the feed from tractor supply and the Dumor or purina brand I think there’s something to that.
I used to raise and sell hatching eggs a couple of decades ago. I had over 1700 birds of various breeds and color of breeds. My Rhode Island Whites didn't lay hardly at all during warm weather and longer days but during the winter I had to collect several times a day or eggs may freeze before I could get them. :D I retired from that (too much work at 60) A couple of my hens are 8 years old and older in my flock of 30 birds. All different ages. I have a light but it goes off 2 hours after dark. With the rising costs of power I don't burn anything that isn't necessary and let the girls have their natural cycle. I also use energy efficient light (basically so we can see to lock them up) and different breeds that lay more or less in different seasons. I pretty much just love chickens and will always have some. None will/can be culled or sold. I have a 36 yr old high functioning autistic son and he has named just about every one of them. lol They are relaxing therapy. :D During the warm months I scramble and freeze or freeze dry the eggs and what I can't get a handle on. (Way too many eggs) I give to my daughter and oldest son. I am getting enough eggs+ right at 6 to 8 a day for my hubby, son and I. We are in northern middle TN so our winter isn't too long. Not like it was in Michigan!
Personally I think feed makes a difference with egg laying. I have chickens that were hatched same time as my mom’s chickens. Only difference is she feeds nothing but store bought feed and hers are in a stationary coop. Were as we rotate our chickens through the pasture and feed them a lot of whole corn, table scraps and mixed greens we’ve been getting out of the garden and we’ve not seen egg production slow up at all but on the other hand she has not gotten an egg in a week
Personally, mine have to stay confined because I'm in the middle of a neighborhood and I'm paranoid about about all the neighborhood cats and dogs getting them, but they've got a big run I'm actually planning on expanding soon. They've gotten just about every brand of feed Tractor Supply has, but I also give them dehydrated table scraps from my grandparents, fresh from my house, or mealworms just about every day. So far, no drop in production, but I also live in SE Texas, so it hasn't been super cold, and its also my girl's first year of laying. I do plan on buying the local brand of feed at my feed store after hearing all the rumors about Tractor Supply feed being tampered with, just to be safe though.
You could use an old cement mixer to mix we use one to add wormer to small batches of hog feed. Harbor freight sell a small one that would work well too.
Everyone I know that used TSC’s food this year egg production stop. Including mine. So I switched feed last week. Started getting eggs again this week. Haven’t got eggs since late September when I bought new feed from tsc. They either did something on accident or on purpose to their feed this winter. I a lot of other chicken owners they had the same problem with the feed.
So long as you understand they will stop laying earlier in their lifecycle have at it. Can also put some added stress on them forcing year round egg production. There are always pros and cons to every decision.
for price of eggs right now might be worth it. Price of eggs will level out and back down once egg production supply chain comes back. Can put them back on a natural winter cycle next years
I used to free range three hens. Recently, coyotes got them. They were quite old. From my experience, adding oyster shell is good. Or you can toss it to them instead of soldier larvae. If they need calcium, they'll devour it. If not, they'll ignore it. Then, set the light to go off at dusk, not dawn. They'll go into coop and enjoy a few more hours of light. Leave the scratch for them to busy themselves before roosting. Chickens are drawn to light and produce best when given enough. You might give them treats of collards or garden weeds too. They like fresh scraps to toss around, eat, and play a game of chase.
Chopped up cabbage or red pepper flakes will bring the production back up. I raise gamefowl so winter is breeding season. This has never failed me. I do give them about 3 extra hours of light as well.
With the TS pride crumble and feeding them greens everyday, cabbage, mustards, collards with a scoop of BSF, sometimes few will double lay out of my ISA Browns.
I don’t have chickens, don’t want chickens but nonetheless, I found this interesting. I’ve discovered that regardless of what Wes’s publishes, I’ll watch it. He somehow manages to make the most mundane topics interesting. I guess I’m hooked on this channel.
I see you have a Producers Pride chicken feed. Just came across a RU-vid video that talked about the chicken feed specifically, Dumor and Producers pride from TLC. Apparently chickens have stopped laying for a whole lot of people and they thought it was just the natural molting, time of year. Some of the comments say that when they switched to a local feed store or made their own, they started getting eggs again.
Producer's pride is associated with the tractor supply ,WEF, and Jeffery epstine and Bill gates so you take that however you want,I'm just sayin 😉 might want to feed them something else.
I've tried a lot of food variations through the years but I never had much change in the egg laying habits with it. So yeah I'd say the light made the difference. They always seem to quit, or at least drastically slow up, in midsummer and during winter. But they also usually start back up in February - which is when most wild birds start nesting.
Raised chickens for 4-H for like a million years. I single bare bulb in the winter will keep the room slightly warmer and deliver extra day length. Our coop was fairly draft tight but not heated besides a water dish and the bulb at night. They would lay all winter. Araucana, Barred Rock, Rhode Island red, Plymoth rock, bantams, silkies the list goes on. The majority of them would lay all winter. (mom liked chickens)
My husband worked at a industrial eggs farm where they have millions of chickens and the food is very controlled and specific the light is the main factor to keep the chickens laying. In the large chicken houses they have the lights on year round and it is incredibly technical for eggs production. My husband was a industrial electrician and was always busy working on the equipment to sort and clean and carton the eggs. He used to bring home videos clips of how it worked. Back then we could not have chickens because of laws to protect the flocks.
My husband passes away in December 2020 a few months later I picked up a couple dozen chicks. Mine are feed good natural food and get sunlight and that is it. They slowed down for the winter and are picking up again already.
I was looking at that Vevor grinder but they only had a couple reviews and some weren’t great. I’ll have to keep an eye out for any new reviews. Here’s a tip for mixing larger batches, like for pigs. You can rapidly mix a larger amount of feed with a cheap Amazon concrete mixer.
This is our first winter with laying hens. We used a different food mix I found on RU-vid. Whole Oats, whole corn, whole black oil sunflower seeds, and a little diatomaceous earth. We didn't add extra light, only had a geat lamp on the below zero days (about a week and a half). Our oldest hen who had been laying since mid summer never stopped laying. Our younger hens have all begun laying this month (January). For us, it's the food. More fat in the whole corn and black oil sunflower seeds.
@@BethIAMRanch About half oats, and ¼ each corn n seeds. The DE is good to keep them free of parasites as well as other benefits. We found the girls started losing some feathers in small patches, so we have added about ½c of split peas to their daily scratch for added protein. They are still laying great! We have 7 layers and average 4 eggs a day.
In this situation, yes, I believe it was the light. Another thing you can do, if the light is not practical, is to have young pullets that will come to sexual maturity in the fall. They will lay all winter long. Of course, it takes some planning ahead, but this has worked for me. Generally, chickens lay good for 2 years, slacking off in the winter (darker) months, and when they are molting. A lot of people will cull their hens that are 2 years old, but I have found that 3 year old's will lay decent enough to warrant hanging on to them. Protein percentage in their diet will also be a factor in their laying. That's why I offer them any mice I catch and I hope to be able to raise mealworms again (it's really easy to do).
I do the same with mice. Also do lights in the evening if needed. Crazy thing is mine have been laying pretty darn good this fall/winter so far. Had a few weeks during summer where they slacked off. I believe that was due to drought (not enough grass and bugs) so I increased their protein on my end and eggs increased.
My hens were five years old and still producing, until coyotes got them. They free ranged in a fenced desert half acre garden. Ate bugs, lizards, scratch, my garden scraps and whatever pleased them. Easy animals to raise when protected from predators.
@@lynnjasmine3216 Sometimes the Summer lull is a need for calcium. Toss out a handful of oyster shell. If they devour it, there's the problem. Generally, hens rest their production in Winter, when molting, or because they need calcium (oyster shell or lots of greens).
The lighting method is used on the second plus year old hens. If you buy your pullets that hatched from the latter half of February through the beginning of May, your pullets will mature in time for the winter months. February hatchlings will lay from August through unto November the following year. 16 whole months. November is the most usual month that all hens stop laying but for the young pullets they will lay their first year all the way through. This is with your egg laying breeds that mature in six months. If your pullets mature after November, they will tend to not lay until January when the other hens are due to lay.
Interesting video Wes. I'm inclined to agree with you about the light. Chickens sure look well anyway! Best wishes to you & your family for 2023, stay safe & well - Dave. 👍👍
I've seen a lot of comments on some other channels that beginning last fall some feeds were making the hens stop laying, especially tractor supply feed. I got some Nutrina for the 1st time last fall and mine stopped laying. I went back to the local stuff and they started again.
That’s what I heard as well. The tractor supply feed and Damor feed - they’ve done some thing to them and they will slow down the egg production. We switched to an organic feed from our local feed store and I’ve started getting four eggs a day instead of none or one
I grew up on a chicken ranch back in the 40s and 50s and from september thru march the lights came on in the chicken houses at 5 am for just that situation... when the days shorten, the production drops... especially so during their annual molt! So many days I watched my grandfather hand mix his feed as you did here... but it a #2 washtub... then carry it in two five-gallon buckets to the 5 houses he maintained
an additional thought... in those days in that area, it was a mark of honor that eggs laid today are in the market tomorrow... today, the average egg in your supermarket is 5 weeks old...
It's definitely the light. And I havent had chickens in about 15 years but I'm getting them again because of egg prices. Apparently there was a huge Avian Flu outbreak and a lot of chickens had to be put down and so that's affected the prices. But having control over your own food supply is always the best way.
I have 10 hens (Copper marans, Americas, & leg horns. I only got eggs from the 2 leg horns for 7 weeks. This was unheard of in my flock. Heard about Tractor supply feed problem. Had lots of it so we added ground pinto beans & rice to the mix. 3 Scoops of the feed to 1 scoop each of the rice & beans. It took about 10 days but we have now been getting 5-6 eggs a day.
A little advice from my late grandfather, whom I miss very much: adding the light will increase egg production (I always give my hens their downtime.) Certain breeds do better in certain areas. The breeds my grandpa told me about are the ones I have had less trouble with. When I couldn't find information he would tell me to look up, he sent me to the extension office. When I discovered that the extension office was basically gone, he told me to look for old extension bulletins. Perhaps you have a better extension than we do in Michigan, but if not, google books is a treasure of old extension office bulletins. Yes, they are old, and I don't trust the canning ones, but for livestock and gardening they can be very helpful. It's a matter of us learning today what used to be handed-down knowledge. I'd also keep a notebook on what works and what doesn't, so you can refer to that. My grandpa used to keep his notes on the milkhouse wall. I get my feed from a local elevator, but thank you for the encouragement to make my own feed. Who knows when my local elevator will be taken out by the developers.
I sure do miss my Grandpa too. My Papa. He had a wealth of knowledge about gardening and animal husbandry. He and my Granny raised 7 children during the Great Depression on a Coal Miner's pay that wasn't very consistent. But they had 3 acres with a creek [that they rented for $1 per month!!!] and made a good living off the land insofar as food went. He taught me a lot when I was little about gardening, but we never got around to chicken talk.
We do the same thing with corn, then add oats, black sunflower seeds, and oyster shells for calcium. I plan on getting away from the feed pellets also 👍
I think it was the light and I'm glad they liked the feed you made. It never hurts to experiment and farmers are masters at it. I hope you and your family have a happy new year!
That was interesting!! Thanks!! 👍 Those chickens liked that one box!! It must be cozy!! God bless you and your family. I hope y'all have a blessed New Year!! ❤️ 🙏❤️
I think it's a natural instinct to lay in the same nest. Because in nature if their eggs are not in THE selected nest when one of the other hens starts to get "broody" they wouldn't get hatched - since they don't all get broody at the same time. So, a natural safeguard to reproduce.
We are rotating out our chickens every couple of years. We freeze eggs during their heavy laying months. We get 7-11 eggs daily for 19 hens right now in Jan. We are using TSC laying pellets. Plus some scratch. No extra light. Thanks for your study! Lane and Rhonda from Tennessee
Very good video, thank you. I know the hours of ight per day is a major factor in chicken's egg laying. Buying and mixing your own feed is more economical. I suggest you sprout the whole corn kernals (and other whole grains) by first soaking overnight, draining, spreding out and letting it begin to grow (in warm space), then free feed. If the seeds grow greens to 3" tall (fodder feeding), it would be best because it takes a low protein source to a much higher protein diet with your time and effort - especially in the winter.
It is my understanding that artificial light in the evening is better than artificial light in the morning. As soon as I started watching this video my wife start saying "more light, more light." she also stated that it is needed in the evening as apposed to the morning. I have to assume that she knows what she is talking about because she always had good egg production from her hens.
I learned something new this season with my chicken. Free access to feed is not always helpful because they accumulates fat on their egg laying system and decrease egg production. On average they only need 110 grams of quality feed per chicken.
I love your property, your coop, and your whole setup. Pretty cool stuff. I'm a city dweller on a small lot, so my chicken coop and run are great for my limited space but I like yours better, lol. Thanks for the video!
An older gentleman told me to feed my hens some fat and meat , so being I raw feed my dogs I decided to give it a try . I must say within three days I went from getting zero to one egg to getting four . I am still giving them the pride mini pellets also , just giving them extra fat and protein , and they love it .
I have a hen the was injured by a hawk, after researching i fed meat (ground beef, hotdogs, pork, any scraps) for extra protein to help the healing & feather regrowth... even after that trauma she was back to laying eggs 3 days later. And none of our backyard hens stopped laying this winter. I really think the meat made a huge difference and keeping the yard light on til 7pm which meant almost 12 hrs of light.
Well done. Having made our own feed for 1000+ birds for years, I can share a couple things. You mentioned "methionine" as one of the TS feed ingredients. This protein is critical and can be as limiting as no water when it comes to layers. The TS and nearly all commercial and sadly organic feeds use a synthetic form. Other than spirulina, the only sources for it are non vegetarian, such as bugs, fish and other meat type products. A laying hen only needs about a gram of it a day, so around 5-10 mealworms if there are no insects around. Besides the grains, it is important to keep including a legume such as the soybean meal to compliment the grain nutrients. Consider fermenting your feed mix and adding a little humic acid, it does wonders especially during heat stress. Great place you got there. Cheers!
We have also targeted the methionine as a culprit in our non egg production. We had a young flock that had not started laying way past their time. We started feeding the hog food which does not contain the methionine and almost immediately the eggs started. Then stopped again after the days got shorter. They also get to free range and we are in the mountains of East Tennessee so I assume that bugs are present even in the winter here. We added a timer with a row of string lights (led) but doesn't seem to help ... Maybe not bright enough extra light ?
@@carlboehm3858 My experience with lights: The recommended lights are so you can just read newsprint on the floor of the coop/roost. In a 12 x 20 coop, I used 2 60 watt equivalent soft white leds. Going cold turkey in the winter from no lights near the shortest day of the year abruptly to the longest day equivalent kinda shocks their circadian rhythm and may not respond with eggs. I was instructed to add 15 minutes a day to acclimate them. This leaves you with lights on in the morning and evening mimicking the longest day of the year in your area. One more note about feed and protein. Since the birds eat a bit more in winter to keep warm, I add more carbs. Regardless of how much they eat, they require the same amount of protein all year. If you do the math, that means a lower protein mix in the colder months and higher in the warmer months. We seldom drop below 80% egg production in the winter here near Savanah GA. There could be a bunch of other reasons for that but I pride myself in making their feed. Chickens are a tricky bunch if you want to keep them producing. Cheers!
When adding light back after molt, it is best to go in 15 min increments weekly as that is what would be more natural. Honestly, my best tip for winter egg laying boost is kitchen scraps. I have also started a compost pile in the chicken run and going to see if that aids in egg production as well as the added benefit of the chickens turning compost for me for the garden
Lights are good 👍 But you feed your chickens really well sometimes I go to little overboard in that feed and scraps Been doing like you’re doing for a long time I’m getting into the part where I want to start growing my own seed for the Meno sunflowers sorghum easy stuff to grow just supplement with feed and towards the winter… Feedlblocks to use when you go on vacation
We had this same problem last year. We went a little different route. Knowing that the light was the issue (and our feed at one point) we made it through the season and come spring when we had an abundance of eggs we've tried "water glassing". There are several video's on RU-vid for this and we're doing one too but it probably wont be posted for another 6 months. Basically it's an easy way to store eggs, without refrigeration or freezing. Second... on your feed... if you want to do a larger batch of feed scroll around marketplace for a mortar/cement mixer. Its handy to have around the homestead for those little concrete projects as well as an easy way to mix large batches of feed for various animals.
They also need grass mate, fresh, everyday, what I do is I have about 5-10 kitty litter trays and put a bit of soil in them, add some wheat or oats and water in, let them grow to about 10 cms and just chuck one in with them and depending on how many chooks you have will depend on how long it lasts, as you pull one out just add more wheat and water daily 👍👍
Great video good stuff to know. I'm not far from you up on lookout mountain judging by your J-bar shirt. We just picked up eight chickens in the beginning of spring of 22. Thought about the same issue. I've had friends say that chicken slow down in the short days of winter. What I did was I took a LED grow light for plants and put it in the coop and set it at a nice summer's day length of sun. Viparspar p1000... Can be found on Amazon. Maybe it's because the chickens are still young????. Eight chickens and so far through a very cold winter at times consistently getting nine to 12 eggs every 2 days. Thanks for the video!!
My chickens love whole corn it's their favorite food out of anything else I feed. I also add diatomaceous and kelp they also eat alfalfa hay( horse hay) the alfalfa boost egg production huge increase! Try throwing a bale of Alfalfa in see what happens, or feed a flake a day. I also get a high quality scratch with black oil sunflower with millet and fish oil, oats I can't remember what else but it's the alfalfa that boost egg production lots of protein in it. Also alfalfa has a quite a bit of calcium in it.
Alfalfa has a lot of protein and meets the hens need for green plants. Black oil sunflower seeds also give them oil. Sounds like you have a great blend for your hens.
@@debrafuller5693 ok I've been collecting around 5 or 6 eggs daily then I found the stash nest with another 19 eggs in it im sure there is another stash nest. I probably have 15 to 20 hens most are over 2 years old I haven't added in 4 years so feeding alfalfa does help. I have 3 dozen eggs in my fridge right now, which I give to my daughter for her family, and cook some as needed. Alfalfa here is expensive but I'm hoping to grow a patch this year. Oh yeah I tested stash eggs no floaters lol. So I hope this helps everyone get eggs for their families.
I grew up in a large family of 8 children and yes my Dad had chickens for meat and eggs and during the winter he would add a small amount of chili powder too their feed once a week and they kept on giving eggs. I have my own chickens and ducks and as the cold weather and shorter days began the eggs began too get less so I did what my Dad did and yhep they began laying eggs again
i have had as many as 50 chickens of laying age ( Rhode island reds) and found that light is the key as i did not change the 16% proteins feed that i was using at the time. 16 to 18 hrs seem to be the sweet spot for me. It seems the winter production is a bit lower then summer with the same rations and no other changes. I think i would recommend 16 hrs of light and to gradually increase the light over several weeks. Also, the calcium is important as over time u will find the shells getting thinner which means the calcium is being scavenged from the body of the bird.
We had one chicken start laying a very soft egg. The other three chickens eggs seemed fine. We hadn't changed anything with their food, we give them Oyster shell in a separate feeder but still was getting the occasional soft egg.. Any other ideas as to what's going on here? We have 4 Buff Orpingtons
It's definitely the light. I live just down the road from a commercial poultry operation and they keep the lights on in their laying houses 24x7 and are having great success. Stick with the lights. The food you're feeding should have a phenomenally positive effect on the flavor of your chickens not to mention the eggs at harvest also. Best of luck and great content. Happy New Year !
@@nateb4485 sorry mate but having them in light 24/7 stuffs with the animals natural circadian rhythm! Chickens don’t need to see in the dark cause they should be sleeping 💤 Imagine being kept in continuous light, never knowing what time of day it is?? It would be torture…
@@kasie680 Your imagining it as a human, for a human it might be torture but not for a chicken. I have chickens and its been a problem for me as I have a street light that illuminates my chicken run, they would rather be out in the pouring rain in a storm where there is light, then be in the coop where its dry and no wind but its dark. I had to start putting light in coop to convince them to go in, even though they go in during the day. I know of other people who have had the same problem. I feel like its reassuring for them to wake up and to be able to see everything is fine rather then in the dark and hope there is no predators they cant see.
Hearing now that tractor supply has been selling feed that reduces or even stops egg laying makes you wonder since when they have been manipulated feed
You might think about fermenting your feed. I know it is tricky in the winter (I bring my fermenting feed indoors), but it is well worth the effort especially if you are trying to lower the feed cost.
This is a rough estimate, but this mix is about $17 per 50lb. A mix at this protein level (~23%) is probably about $22. Standard layer feed (16% protein) from TSC is 19.49 for 50lb. Keep in mind though that I got the corn in bulk locally for about 15 cents a pound, so if you buy it by the bag it's going to be more. REPLY
@@falllineridge have you calculated how much it costs you to produce a dozen eggs? Feed, electricity not to mention the chickens, that grinder and your time. I know that either way it’s worth it to know where your food comes from but it would be interesting to see those numbers.
Well done . Informative 👍👍👍. Thank you for sharing. Take care of yourself, be safe, and healthy 🇨🇦 Wishing you and your family a HAPPY and PROSPEROUS NEW YEAR
I understand that the Tractor Supply chicken feed is the one that is affecting chickens. I use Nutrena Layer pellets and have had the best of luck. Some of my girls are only supposed to give me 3-4 eggs a week but they are doing much better than that. I have a total of 16 various kinds of chickens and I get 12-14 eggs a day. Not bad for winter.
This is a rough estimate, but this mix is about $17 per 50lb. A mix at this protein level is probably about $22. Standard layer feed from TSC is 19.49 for 50lb.
With natural light here in Missouri chickens on their Second winter will stop laying around end of November to end of January. Hens will lay through their first winter with natural light.
I have 3 1 year old hens and have not had any issues with egg production due to season or weather. The coldest was 3 degrees and have had numerous high 20 degree days this winter. I did add a ceramic heat lamp when the cold hit and its on for 10 hours placed above their roosting branch. 2-3 eggs a day is typical from as long as they have been laying. Producer's Pride mini pellets and cracked corn mix 80/20. I have a hanging feeder and notice they don't seem to eat all the corn they knock out. Not feeding them for 2 days doesn't seem to have them go for it either. They free range in our 1/8 acre backyard about 8 hours a day. Occasional food scraps added. The yolk color is getting more orange with the grass, weeds they are now eating. I get way more than I need and give most away to family and neighbor. It's a fun challenge.
Joel salatin also has a chicken feed recipe, it might be on one of Justin Rhodes' early early videos. I don't know if soybeans affects chicken's hormones the way it does with humans, but I'd find a substitute if possible. Does this work better then the layer or scratch feed?
I get the same Tractor Supply food and I have seen a change in look.I come across a video on fermentation of this same food.I got a 5lb.sourcream container filled it half full filled to top of container next day at 4 pm gave half of it to the chickens refilled with food and water and I went from one egg now I get around 5-6 aday this did work I'm happy with it.
when they get to be about 2 years old they slow down in egg laying also. It may sound weird but if you rub your chickens on the top of their back towards their bum in between their wings every day as good as you can egg production will pick up! I'm an egg seller so I do this and feed them all table scraps and I get plenty of eggs to keep my customers happy threw the winter here in NH.
Loved your video. It brought back fond memories when we had our own chickens. I lived next door, then, to an old farmer from Missouri who gave me a lot of tips to keep the chickens laying. He said to add warm water in place of their cold water dish and crush their dried eggshells and feed it to them. We did use light, too. It worked for us.
First year. Learned about fermenting feed. Thet started laying at 4 months. Use heat lamp when temps are in 30s or less. GMOs grains could be an issue. I feed organic and weeds from garden... get an egg a day. Thank you for your video.
Hens have stopped laying here in the UK too. Some testing of the make-up of pelleted layers feed has been done and the amino acid called L-lysene is missing from the feed. This is essential for egg production. You can look up good, natural sources of this.
"Rolled corn" has more moisture left in it which mean more nutrients and vitamins than whole corn/cracked corn...also, some places (mills) call rolled corn, "flake(ed) corn". Also, rolled, flaked or flattened corn molds quickly in wet or hot conditions so it's not a good idea to horde it or keep more than use can use in a couple of months.
My chickens don't slow down or stop laying in winter. I make my own feed and it's all grains and seeds. I also make sure they get black oil sunflower seeds and split peas. Sunflower seeds help them keep warm in winter and green split peas are a good protein source.
I took charge of a large poultry barn, total about 300 poultry (mostly 200 chickens). I "ran" this large barn from mid-February of 2021 to April of 2022. There was lighting in the barn 24/7. NEVER TURNED OFF. Even with single digit temps during the cold winter months, they didn't stop laying. None of them moulted either! Used the same PPride brand you showed at the first of this video, but we also had 5-gallon buckets of thrown out restaurant food (mostly oriental food). I went out of my way to give them green stuff (weeds from garden). They never even slowed down on egg production!
I made survivalHT food. Also here in South Texas. I have five month old, cuckoo marans that are laying, just about every day with no light. I also have some Rhode Island reds, there are laying every other day.
I ve heard from other homesteads complain about Tractor Supply chicken food. Also, might want to do some research on Tractor Supply and what the support. I found a local company who I buy in bulk and have been getting great results.
Hey brother I heard from a lot of other chicken owners that any store bought scratch or pre made food from tractor supply is making everyones chickens stop laying almost completely. I started making my own chicken feed just like you because I'm paranoid. Maybe if you just try your own home made feed and test out if that scratch you have is doing something? I don't know but thought I would let you know on the news in case you never heard what I'm telling you before. Beautiful chickens by the way keep up the good work!
There is a way to tell. If you can get 1 finger in the vent either they are too old and stopped laying or not mature enough to start. If 2 -3 fingers means they are mature and or still laying. I have 4 4 year old white leghorns and 3 are molting currently so no eggs from them. I have 7, 8 month old chickens RIR, Golden Comet, Buff Orpington, Barred Rock , White leghorn and Black Australorp. All but my buff and Australorp have been laying for a few months now, my Australorp just started a week ago after all this wacky 19 degrees here in South GA/ North FL. my Buff is still not producing. I am on producers pride with them as well and get about 5-7 eggs a day. I let the out in the yard for about 30-1hr maybe twice a day. They have Grit and Oyster shells 24/7 , but not special bugs since they get yard time. Sometimes its the chicken. RIR Mature around 16-20 weeks other later. Have their Combs and Waddles turned bright red that is another sign of a mature or laying chicken.
Before I make anymore comments, I would like to say that I admire your dedication to your flock. You are doing above and beyond everything right. I live in Germany. The sun comes up about 8am in the morning and sets hard by 4:30p in the Winter. I am not supplementing light or heat. I have 6 chickens and get 6 extra large eggs everyday. We bought laying chickens from a local feed store. We don’t have any “special” chickens. They are just layers that are good for our cold, dark winters and cooler summers. They are just a lovely reddish brown, but a good size. I do feed them a Winter feed that has a bit more fat in it over the Winter months. They also get a handful of Soldier fly larvae at night before bed and the normal kitchen scraps and greens, beans and pasta or warm oatmeal fortified with leftover broth, whatever we have on hand to be honest. It is tempting to get chickens for their beauty and diversity. They look so lovely in the yard, but not all of them are suited to laying in dark Winter months. I would suggest looking further into the breeds that you are using as layers if you don’t want to buy eggs. We have so many eggs that we have trouble finding enough people to give them to. If I can find the name of the breed we have here, I will post it up in this thread. Best of luck.
Ya lighting is everything. Had to do the same. I wanted to go natural but when your feeding them and no eggs, maybe 1 a day if your lucky from 10 chickens well that's not good. So did the light thing and 5 wks later back to 7 per day. Will do the food thing just because better for them and cost effective in the long run. Thanks for the video!!
We put a bag of wheat on a large tray. Wetting it until it started to shoot. When it was about three inches high we put it in the chook run. They went crazy.
I will not get from tractor supply. I mix my feed. Scratch grain, layer pellets, black oil sunflower seeds & oyster shells. I do it in layers. 2 big scoops of both feeds, 1 scoop of seeds and half scoop shells mix that then repeat. I then give ladies mealwarms and whatever scraps I have. Warm season I will add a scoop in every layer of diatomaceous earth. I'm getting 5 to 8 eggs a day pretty much with 10 hens. I also soak alpha cubes they love that.
I would say it's the light too. I remember as a little girl going by chicken farms and seeing them lit up. Jason over at Cog Hill Family Farm has said that the best most consistent egg layer he feels is the Rhode Island Red.
Hey Wes, thanks for sharing this. Where did you get your grains for the food? How much did you find you are saving per bag/pound? Thanks again my friend.
I have chickens, no extra light, same food as you but black sunflowers seeds and lots and lots of green leaf vegs every day . please try it it works for me .
Great Video Mate! Love the detail and the longer span experiment. Will definitely be having a look at lighting when we go into winter down here in Australia. Love seeing other people on the same journey I am on. How good is farm living?! @TallowView
I enjoyed your video. I have been keeping chickens for 60 yrs. At my peak a had 11,000 bird laying operation. Your hypothesis is correct, the bird need 12- 14 hrs of light per day. If the birds get stressed up your protein with meal worms (50% protien). This gives them a boost. I currently only have 20 hens who are 2yrs old & & am getting 14-16 eggs daily. Keep up the good work, it's nice to see a youngster so enthusiastic about poultry.
