Leicester_H Posted December 27, 2011 Share Posted December 27, 2011 An odd request I know but.... We have an elderly original omlet gingernut ranger. She is quite skinny - but otherwise appears to be in very good health. Recently moulted and now has VERY nice feathers. Eats well (but not as much as others). Runs around the garden, dust bathes etc. etc. At one of the Advanced chicken courses it was suggested that switching her to growers pellets (instead of layers) might discourage her from laying - so we did this. But she has just started laying again! (http://club.omlet.co.uk/forum/viewtopic.php?f=5&t=84464&sid=f5c9018b86d34ba1f75706e40474b8c3) I'd be quite happy for her to stop laying (as it must be a bit of a strain on her system) - is there any (kind) way of discouraging her from laying ?? H Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mum Posted December 27, 2011 Share Posted December 27, 2011 I've got mixed feelings about this. On the one hand, I do understand your (human) reasons for wanting to give her a break; on the other hand, by interferring with nature ... ???? If she is producing eggs, that is *her* bodily cycle doing what nature intended. If changing her diet hasn't prevented her from laying ... who are we to intervene further? What is your issue with her laying? Is it because *you* feel she is getting on? Or, are you being persuaded by the advice given on a course? Or, is there a vetenary reason she should be discouraged? One of the reasons I keep hens is because I deplore the way man has intervened in the natural cycle of the humble hen, e.g. battery farming; it is for this reason that, despite no eggs for the past couple of months and the frustrations it brings, I am equally happy that my girls are living as near natural life as is possible in an urban setting - so, they are not forced to lay/forced not to lay/not given heat lamps/not subjected to the (unprotected) preditors they will naturally encourage. My girls free range when I am able to watch over them (yes, sometimes that includes in heavy rain/snow! Other times, blazing sunshine ). I don't know; forcing a chook *not* to lay is like ... forcing a woman not menstrate when she is quite happy doing so!? She will slow down in her own time, at her own pace. Just like we will How old is your chook? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mum Posted December 27, 2011 Share Posted December 27, 2011 Sorry, just noted your sig. Are you really speaking about a chook who is only 2 and half???? Or the almost 5yo? That doesn't necessarily make them too old to lay. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Leicester_H Posted December 27, 2011 Author Share Posted December 27, 2011 You're quite right - I was/am just wanting to give her a good life. I don't want to do anything drastic to 'force' her to stop laying. It was suggested that as Layers pellets 'encourage' egg production it might be better to take her off these. No 'medical' reason. She is now 5 years old. I THINK (?) growers have a little more protein than Layers (although the differences seems so little I don't know why they make the different types??) - so it shouldn't be doing her any harm - should it ?? H Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chick wiggle Posted December 27, 2011 Share Posted December 27, 2011 Hazel i also tried to stop mine from laying, but for more selfish reasons, they were making such an unholy din with their early morning egg announcing in the summer, im ashamed to say I tried putting them on growers but it really made no difference whatsoever, giving them growers certainly wont do them any harm and i often give them growers just for a boost. Now, wether thats just me thinking, like you, in human terms i dont know, but it wont hurt them anyway. As i understand it, (and someone may correct me if im wrong) when a chick is hatched, they already have a no. of eggs in their system to lay, and these eggs will be laid one way or another, and only when all the eggs have been laid will they stop for good. It seems to me that your chickens are happy and healthy and been loved and looked after as well as they could posibly hope for, so i would stop worrying and carry on just enjoying them Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sue Posted December 27, 2011 Share Posted December 27, 2011 Hi there - slightly off topic, but just so no one gets confused - Growers Pellets are normally slightly lower protein content than Layers Pellets, which is why some folk may have suggested their use to discourage laying Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mum Posted December 28, 2011 Share Posted December 28, 2011 You're quite right - I was/am just wanting to give her a good life.I don't want to do anything drastic to 'force' her to stop laying. I'm sure you are giving her a wonderful life ... As i understand it, (and someone may correct me if im wrong) when a chick is hatched, they already have a no. of eggs in their system to lay, and these eggs will be laid one way or another, and only when all the eggs have been laid will they stop for good. I've heard that too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lindafw Posted December 28, 2011 Share Posted December 28, 2011 http://urbanext.illinois.edu/eggs/res17-layeggs.html Yup the egg yolks are already there for the hen to grow them Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr Rhode Island Red Posted December 28, 2011 Share Posted December 28, 2011 After you consider what other people have said about this topic, and you are sure you want to stop a hen from laying, feed the hen solely on mixed corn to stop her from laying. Note: this will also fatten the hen quite a bit, which could lead to poor health Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Leicester_H Posted December 28, 2011 Author Share Posted December 28, 2011 No - I think I'll simply leave her to get on with it (and carry on pampering her!) H Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sandyhas3chucks Posted December 28, 2011 Share Posted December 28, 2011 After you consider what other people have said about this topic, and you are sure you want to stop a hen from laying, feed the hen solely on mixed corn to stop her from laying. Note: this will also fatten the hen quite a bit, which could lead to poor health Oh wish that it were that simple..... Then all of us with ex bats with awful knackered systems would be jumping u and down with sheer joy! I had a pal that was told to feed them just mixed corn which she did for two years ntt knowing any different, they all laid right through the years, no problems.. I would also make the superlorin implant un needed Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
