There are foods you can give to your hens to flood their bodies with good nutrition and trace minerals to help them lay more eggs. Whether they have slowed down their laying because of heat, cold, or you want to help them start back up quickly after molting, there are wholesome foods and natural supplements you can use to help with that! Here is what to feed hens to get more eggs:
What to Feed Hens to Get More Eggs
I’m going to share all the tricks I have experimented with and discovered help my flock to lay more eggs. Some of them work best in warm temperatures while others are intended to encourage laying when the weather is cold.
Increase the Protein % of the Hen’s Feed
If your flock is on 16% protein commercial feed, one of the easiest ways to help increase egg output is to give them 18-20% protein feeds. These may be sold as “Feather Fixer”, “All Flock” or even “Grower” feed. Not only will the boost in protein help but the new type of feed will encourage hens, who get bored with pelleted feed, to consume a bit more.
Give Homemade Scratch for a Nutrient Boost
Our homemade scratch mix recipes are relished by hens! They also pack a powerful punch of phytonutrients, trace minerals, and higher fat. One of the best tricks is to offer these whole food scratch blends just before dusk. The hens will have already filled their crops with their regular feed in preparation for roosting but will greedily devour the offered scratch mix. We want her to get the balanced nutrition of her feed and the beneficial boost of the scratch blend. Feeding the scratch treat in the evening is the best way to accomplish this.
Properly Time Her Treats
If you give hens any scratch, meal worms, or treats in the morning, the hens will refuse to eat their pelleted feed all day, hoping you’ll bring more treats when you come to collect eggs. Allowing this bad habit will impact the number of eggs you get as a penned hen’s body is forced to slow down laying since she is not consuming enough properly balanced feeds while confined to the run.
Offer Beef Trimmings & Meat Scraps (Especially in Cold Weather)
I have an entire article detailing a feeding experiment with venison scraps that produced increased speckling on the eggs my speckled egg layer breeds were producing. Chickens are true omnivores and do benefit from eating meat and bugs. Giving hens small bits of raw beef fat, trimmed from the cuts I’m making for my family’s dinner, is my go-to trick to boost egg production. Hand-feeding the hens about 1 teaspoon of beef fat pieces each almost always generates a boost in egg laying 72 hours later.
USDA inspected, human-food-grade raw beef fat is of little risk to your girls. Chickens can consume raw meat just like their vulture cousins who spend their wild lives eating nothing but raw meat. Cooked beef can be offered instead if you are more comfortable with that idea. Anticipate the protein & fat boost from the beef trimmings to take 48 to 72 hours to show an increase in laying. My experience has been that poultry and venison trimmings are leaner and do not seem to provide the same oomph in the nest box that beef does.
Opt for Black Oil Sunflower Seeds, Not Corn
A heavy corn-based diet creates liver stress, which can result in developing fatty liver that eventually slows down laying. The healthy fats in black oil sunflower seeds will give your birds energy while being easier on the liver. Opt for sunflower seeds, not cracked corn, if you’re wanting an abundance of eggs.
Do Not Give White Bread or Pasta
Most flocks get a few kitchen scraps that contain bread but I have found that a bird filling up on even a little bread or pasta will suddenly experience a slight drop in laying. White flour products are junk food that reduce her total intake of greens, grains, good fats, and high quality proteins. The result in 1 year old hens is often a skip day that happens sooner than it should as her body re-adjusts. On the other hand, whole wheat berries – and the choline they contain – are good for your laying hens so don’t fret about the whole wheat berries in your scratch grain mix. Just avoid processed white flour breads, cereals, crackers, and pasta when you’re trying to increase egg production.
Offer Sprouted Seeds & Microgreens
Hens absolutely adore sprouted microgreens! You’ll love how they flood her system with a powerful punch of nutrition that translates to a fuller egg basket. While old farmers believed sprouted whole oats to be the best for hens, my flock has enjoyed every microgreen I have ever given them. The most common has been alfalfa sprouts but they have just as eagerly devoured radish, broccoli, black oil sunflower and pea sprouts. Corn, as shown above, will also produce a nice sprout chickens love. Even bird seed can be sprouted for your flock! Green sprouts are good food for both hot and cold weather so give them as often as you would like!
Ensure Waterers are Sparkling Clean (Especially in the Heat)
A hen who is not properly hydrated won’t lay as many eggs. A clean, fresh waterer is a must, especially in hot weather. If the number of eggs is suddenly dropping as the temperature is rising, you may be dealing with slight dehydration in the flock. This usually means it is time for the waterers to be cleaned and refreshed.
Pasture Range & Free Range if Possible
While the tips here are intended to help penned hens lay more eggs, giving your flock free range time is the fastest way to boost egg production. Hens are instinctive eaters and she will balance her own diet if given a chance to hunt for spiders and nibble on her favorite green weeds. Even just 2 hours of backyard ranging is enough to see benefits in the nest box.
What to Feed Hens to Get More Eggs?
The answer truly comes down to providing more variety with a slight increase in protein, fat, and nutrients. Whether you choose scratch treats or free ranging, beef trimmings or micro greens, I think you’ll be pleasantly surprised by how a small dietary change-up increases egg production!
You Might Also Enjoy Reading:
Old Fashioned Chicken Feed Recipes from Antique Books
Homemade Chicken Scratch Recipes
What to Feed to Get Orange Egg Yolks in 48 Hours
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