Laying hens - Tips and facts food

Chickens are convenient and useful animals to bring home if you have enough space in your garden. They provide fresh eggs during much of the year and are also good waste processors.

My hen does not lay enough eggs.

TIP 1: Provide plenty of water.

Water is essential for laying eggs. Eggs are made up of about 70% fluids. Therefore, regularly check that your hens have ample and fresh water available. A hen without water will not produce any eggs for some time.

TIP 2: Select the feed tailored to your animal's age.

A good laying feed must be available from day one. In the Gold products from Versele-Laga Country's Best range, the fat and protein content is tailored to the age of the hen. These levels vary depending on the age of the animal.

1: Start --> Day 0 – 10 weeks
2: Growth --> 11 weeks – first egg
3 & 4: Adult & Egg --> From the first egg onwards

Select the feed tailored to your animal's age.

Provide the wrong food at the wrong time and you will see that the development of your hen will be less successful and egg laying will be less compared with other laying hens. For example, a hen that is too heavy will produce few or no eggs.

The eggshells are fragile and break easily.

Provide grit and shell sand separately.
Grit and shell sand help to crush the food in the stomach. They also provide calcium, so that the hen can produce sufficiently strong eggshells.
The Country's Best range has two different types of grit:

What food from the kitchen do I give to my hens?

It is fine to give some leftovers, but do not overdo it. It is also best not to give any highly seasoned food to hens. The following foods can be given without problems: vegetables, fruit, cooked noodles, rice and potatoes. Be careful with potato peels with green spots and cabbages. The hen will most probably not pick it up anyway.

If your hens do not have access to a "lawn", you should give your hens plenty of vegetables such as grated carrot, a little lettuce, herbs, fruit, grass, ...

Please note:

  • Leftovers are not the same as waste. You cannot give any food that has gone bad.
  • You should be careful with yogurt. Milk sugar can have a laxative effect.
  • Do not give your hens any prepared or processed meat. Nor spaghetti sauce.
  • Do not give any dog or cat food to your hens at all. This food is much too heavy for hens.

My hen does not leave her nest.

Then your hen is probably broody and it will not lay any more eggs. Do not worry, there is a solution to every problem.

Keep the hen separate for two to three days in a small coop with little litter. The hen will not develop any nesting feeling here. After the third day, the hen will normally leave its empty nest. Some hens may take a little longer.

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