my chickens very hungry

[crisgal]

do chickens eat more when they are about to start laying?

My two chickens have their usual feed and our scraps, but seem to want more

They are asking for more food lately, and Roxy strode into the kitchen last night!
They are due to start laying next week and wondered if I need to feed them more.

[piggynose]

hello crisgal, not an expert, but i´m a little curious here. do chickens reach an age when they stop laying? if thats in a short time, will you be having them for dinner? if so dont starve em!!

[lankeela]

Yes and also with the weather changing they will need a bit more food the colder it gets. Give them more and if they don't clear it all up in about ten minutes they reduce it a bit till they clear up.

[crisgal]

hi guys - no, they haven't started to lay eggs yet, piggy. And when they stop laying, in a few years - we won't be eating them! ♥

[Brinjal]

Are they getting layers mash. I feed mine laying hens a different food. I dont know what extra is in it but it is especially for laying birds.. May have extra calcium

[LoftyLottie]

Obviously you called one Roxy crisgal. What did you call the other one. Like you, I could never eat an animal I had known personally!!

[wildwood]

How do you know they are due to start laying next week? The egg contains a lot of protein so yes, they need more when laying.

Egg farms have laying mash available all the time and that's all they get in the way of food. The shed hens for fertile eggs get a daily extra hard feed.

Not an ideal way to keep birds in my mind, but the hens do lay so must be happy.

[crisgal]

hi Loftylottie!
We called her Mo!

They are so funny. They stick together like glue and are so quiet. They perch on the rung of the children's slide, and have a favourite bush they sit under. At dusk, they just take themselves off to bed, and stay there till morning. I love them to pieces.

Wildwood, we were told they would start laying at a certain age, so are expecting them anytime from next week.

[lankeela]

Reading this thread made me curious and I found this site which has lots of questions and answers:

http://www.cottagesma...chickens-lay-eggs-229