I know that Merissa has told you that she has some chickens. Well, it makes sense that she has chickens, as she grew up with us having and showing chickens for 4-H. We, too, have a brood full of chickens at our place. We surpass 40 in number, (a few more than your avergae number of backyard chickens!) so I expect dozens of eggs each day. Lately, our hens have decided to go on stike. The vary in age from 20 months to 7 months. Yes, all, except our 2 roosters, should be laying.
Today my husband decided to head over to the local feed store. He was picking up a bale of straw for me and I asked him to talk to them about my hens deciding to go on strike. Apparently, I am not alone. Others have inquired about this same problem this time of year.
Here is what she told us to try....it is a "old timers" remedy. She said to add in 1 Tablespoon of white vinegar to each gallon of their fresh drinking water. She also said to put out some "scratch", which includes corn for them. So, I have already went out today and offered up these two remedies. I will keep you posted in the next several weeks to see if this does the trick.
Until next time, Julie
Julie is Merissa's mom and she's committed to living a frugal and simple lifestyle. Julie grows her own herbs in her garden and enjoys making things at home. You can now find her home remedies and ideas here at Little House Living.
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{ 15 comments… read them below or add one }
I am pretty new to raising chickens so I appreciate advice. My chickens have slowed down their egg production too. I assumed it was because they are molting. I had heard that they rarely lay when they are molting. I was told to feed them scrambled eggs or yogurt. What is the vinegar supposed to do?
I am pretty new to raising chickens so I appreciate advice. My chickens have slowed down their egg production too. I assumed it was because they are molting. I had heard that they rarely lay when they are molting. I was told to feed them scrambled eggs or yogurt. What is the vinegar supposed to do?
I THOUGHT I WAS THE ONLY ONE!!! I have a chicken that has recently decided to stop producing and I was wondering why. I’m definitely going to have to try your tricks! Thanks for sharing!
I THOUGHT I WAS THE ONLY ONE!!! I have a chicken that has recently decided to stop producing and I was wondering why. I’m definitely going to have to try your tricks! Thanks for sharing!
Mine have done the opposite – they are youngin’ chickens and are giving us about 3-4 a day (we have 8 gorgeous hens and a very handsome rooster
. However I put apple cider vinegar in my water every day, give them fresh kale every day, chopped carrots and give them sunflower seeds. Sunflower seeds is supposed to help in egg production too. It gives them essential vitamins and oils. Also, I recently started letting them free range 4-5 hours a day and this has made them the happiest pappies on the earth. They’ve laid more since I’ve done that…
Mine have done the opposite – they are youngin’ chickens and are giving us about 3-4 a day (we have 8 gorgeous hens and a very handsome rooster
. However I put apple cider vinegar in my water every day, give them fresh kale every day, chopped carrots and give them sunflower seeds. Sunflower seeds is supposed to help in egg production too. It gives them essential vitamins and oils. Also, I recently started letting them free range 4-5 hours a day and this has made them the happiest pappies on the earth. They’ve laid more since I’ve done that…
We use to put a light in their coop to make sure they had more hours of light. we put it on a timer so it came on when it was still dark. gave them more hours of daylight. seemed to help.
We use to put a light in their coop to make sure they had more hours of light. we put it on a timer so it came on when it was still dark. gave them more hours of daylight. seemed to help.
I have been wanting to get chickens for awhile now but my husband has it in his head that its actually more expensive to have the chickens than to just buy the eggs. We do not go through a large number of eggs, maybe a dozen every week or two. Any thoughts on the cost of having the chickens opposed to just buying eggs in a grocery store (aside from the fact that the fresh eggs are sooo much better tasting).
Thanks,
Stacey
Stacey, personally I don’t think chickens are worth it for eggs alone. I think they are good for eggs for a couple years and then they make it even more worth it when you butcher and have chicken meat. However if you are buying organic or free range eggs, having chickens might be worth it. It’s also nice being a little more self sufficient by having your own chickens then relying on the grocery store to supply meat and eggs. The price of chicken feed is rising (We pay $14 every 2 weeks for feed for about 15 hens) But then we also keep a heat lamp in their pen in the winter to keep them laying. You also have the cost of buying the chickens in the first place which averages about $2 – $5 per chick. There are ways to save money on keeping chickens though, I think maybe I need to add that to my to-write-article list!
I have been wanting to get chickens for awhile now but my husband has it in his head that its actually more expensive to have the chickens than to just buy the eggs. We do not go through a large number of eggs, maybe a dozen every week or two. Any thoughts on the cost of having the chickens opposed to just buying eggs in a grocery store (aside from the fact that the fresh eggs are sooo much better tasting).
Thanks,
Stacey
Stacey, personally I don’t think chickens are worth it for eggs alone. I think they are good for eggs for a couple years and then they make it even more worth it when you butcher and have chicken meat. However if you are buying organic or free range eggs, having chickens might be worth it. It’s also nice being a little more self sufficient by having your own chickens then relying on the grocery store to supply meat and eggs. The price of chicken feed is rising (We pay $14 every 2 weeks for feed for about 15 hens) But then we also keep a heat lamp in their pen in the winter to keep them laying. You also have the cost of buying the chickens in the first place which averages about $2 – $5 per chick. There are ways to save money on keeping chickens though, I think maybe I need to add that to my to-write-article list!
I started our flock going on 4 yrs ago. I procrastinate,plus a lot of thz became pets to our family,long story short we r paying @ least $25+/wk n feed. We have 32 chickens also hv 2 geese & a herd of ducks & i see no solution in sight. I wish i could start clean again & do a lot of things differently.As far as them paying for themselves well Due to molt,less daylight they average now 4-5 hen eggs. Duck eggs, 2-3.
I started our flock going on 4 yrs ago. I procrastinate,plus a lot of thz became pets to our family,long story short we r paying @ least $25+/wk n feed. We have 32 chickens also hv 2 geese & a herd of ducks & i see no solution in sight. I wish i could start clean again & do a lot of things differently.As far as them paying for themselves well Due to molt,less daylight they average now 4-5 hen eggs. Duck eggs, 2-3.
You can’t beat home raised chicken eggs. If you’ve ever eaten the farm-fresh
(without hormones added) you’ll never want a cheap, standard, store-bought egg again! The yolks are yellower, they stand up instead of squishing out, and are naturally sweet.
I currently have 11 hens of laying age. I raise 3 hens each year to rotate the stock. I typically get 6-10 eggs a day. There’s more wealth in the health of an egg that has not come from a hen fed with hormones. The price of eating cheaply purchased foods now is the money you end up spending at the doctor or hospital in the future.
On a homestead, a person can usually find “free” food to supplement hen scratch. All the weeds you pull from your garden…feed the hens. If they’re getting enough to eat every day, they won’t even think about eating anything they really shouldn’t have. Plant a small patch of clover or similar ground cover and either mow or fence that area (temporary fencing is okay). Let the hens roam on it for a while. Not only will they eat the greens, but they’ll scratch around for the ground bugs and help till up the land for next year’s planting. Put them in your garden at the end of the season and they’ll have a great time cleaning up the leftover mess.
I buy in bulk from a farmer that grows everything he puts into the mix. It’s not certified organic, but he uses natural fertilizers. I split the 1,000lb bags into plastic totes to protect from the weather and rodents. $325 feeds all my hens for a year. I then sell the extra eggs for $5 a dozen and in roughly 5 months I’ve paid for my feed and 1 dozen eggs a week for myself and the rest of the eggs are free money. Sure they slow down production in the winter, but I still average 3 eggs a day in the coldest part of the winter.