Wonder how you can make your chickens lay more eggs? There are various factors that affect the production of your hens laying eggs. Each one should be considered equally important in order to get the best return on your overall feed costs.
Such factors include their age, health condition, and surroundings when considering how to help your hens lay more eggs.
How To Make Your Chickens Lay More Eggs
#1. Provide a cozy and well-ventilated coop
A properly-built coop is one of the major factors that you need to consider for better egg production. Too much noise and hot temperature could make your laying hens feel stressed and uncomfortable inside their coops.
Poor ventilation could also make your coops susceptible to the growth of disease-carrying bacteria that could also harm your laying hens.
That is why it is critical to keep your hens’ coops clean and dry all the time.
#2. Space matters
Aside from clean and well-ventilated coops, it is very essential to provide an open area for your chicken where they can freely graze on a lawn and find a comfortable place to rest at night.
Although free-range chickens may not be quite possible to urban homesteaders due to limited area, it is still important to let your laying hens occupy enough space where they can feel comfortable and secured while producing eggs.
#3. Keep them away from stress and other forms of distraction
Just as humans are less productive when feeling stressed, so are chickens. If you want to keep your laying hens at their best egg production, make sure you keep them away from any sort of stress that could lead them to fear, distraction and anxiety.
Make sure to have the right enclosures for them. Always keep them in a safe distance especially from your kids and pets or other sorts of predator attacks. This will create a calm and safe environment which could help them feel more relaxed as they lay eggs.
#4. Give them the right nutrition
Another important factor that you need to consider for better egg production is the quality layer feed that you can grow on your own which can help your laying hens get the right nutrition they deserve.
Young chickens basically need chick starter, but this would only last until they are 6 to 8 weeks old. Also feed them a good proportion of grower feed, fresh grass and vegetable scraps during their laying age.
Do not give your laying hens too many treats that could build a thick layer of fatty tissue on their body, as it can also affect their egg production. Likewise, this could pose some health risks before their prime age for production.
#5. Set up daylight hours
Most breeds of chickens lay eggs during seasons when the daylight hours are long and this is usually spring and summer.
Artificial lights on timers could be used during off-seasons in order to achieve the minimum of 14 hours of light per day required to maintain egg production.
Conclusion
Starting to raise chickens for egg production may not be an easy job especially during the first year, but these practical tips could help you make a good start to help your hens lay more eggs.
As a rule of thumb for all preppers out there, make your laying hens happy and healthy during their prime life, This is the ultimate key to better egg production.
It may require extra time and effort from you. However, seeing your hens lay more eggs is the best reward that you can get out of it.
