The first part of this blog is from episode 8 of Ask North 40- then, like in all of our subsequent write ups, we went a little further than the question- and in this case- we went a lot further.

This is a blue print for getting the most eggs out of your new layers this year. Follow it, and prosper.

To some people this could be a loaded question- when it comes to chickens, like politics, there are camps that are righteously defended. The Black Australorp, while being the "true" reigning queen of laying (clocking in at 1 egg a day for a year) however, she may not lay as many eggs as some prized Rhode Island Reds or Black/Red Stars.

If your Rhode Island Red is fed, grazed and raised right, with correct light, water and supplements (and, of course, a whole lotta these chickens treats) chances are she will lay more often and in higher quality than a poorly maintained Black Australorp.

But, long story short: Yes, there are some breed specific chickens that lay more eggs than others. But let's get a little bit more technical.

If you give your Rhode Island Reds or other baby layers a strong foundation, you will get more eggs throughout the duration of their productive lives.

So- that was the question that launched a thousand questions- Thanks Lois! And that lead us to ask:

How can we get the MOST EGGS out of ANY egg layer?

From Down to Feathers: A Layer Grows

When you buy chicks from North 40, you normally buy a brood kit or brood lights- or you already have those things.

Newly hatched chicks will find their perfect temperature in the brooder, so position a bulb about a foot above the brooder box or floor to provide heat and- and it wouldn't hurt to add a second light in case that bulb burns out- Chicks in down are fragile, order those back up lights here.

Make sure the chicks have room to move if it's too hot under the bulb chicks will move away from the heat; if it's too cool they'll move closer.  But remember, chicks will huddle together when they're cold, which can cause smothering or suffocation, so check your chicks regularly to be sure they're comfortable and not crushing each other.

Here's an in-depth guide for getting your chickens form brood box to nesting box.

Water for Baby Layers & Food Selection

Clean, fresh water is the most important thing to give your chicks. Make sure it is always available and that the waterers are clean. Chick starter rations are available online from North 40 Outfitters right here. Make sure you select one with 18% protein that has the vitamins and minerals chicks need to flourish.

But never opt for an "adult" blend layer feed. The blends you will find for "chicks" in any farm and ranch store will be age-specific to your baby layers, and those nutritional components will lay the foundation for successful production in their later years... but you can order some of the best chicken feed for your old-girl flock right here.

A Good Transition is Queen in the Layer Chicken Realm

At 5 to 6 weeks your downy chicks will begin to grow pinfeathers. These adult feathers will help them regulate their body temperatures better than down, and as the chicken parent, you need to make the correct adjustments for your flock. 

Although they start off at 90 - 95 degrees in the brooder the first week of life, you need to decrease this temperature each week until the temperature inside the brooder is close to what daytime temps will be.

For the first few weeks (and especially if outdoor temperatures are fluctuating), you may want to bring the birds back into the brooder at night or in bad weather- so wait on full integration (if your coop is not well protected) until basically after May here in the Northwest. 

Layers & That Chicken Drama

Drama: the term comes from the Greek word δρᾶμα, drama, meaning action, which is derived from the verb δράω, draō, meaning to do or to act- and it is something you want to avoid when integrating your new chicks into that established, old-girl flock.

Chicken bullying is real, and to help avoid this and successfully integrate your new flock into the old, you need to have a period of time where the new flock is next-to, but separated from the old flock. We recommend setting up a parallel run out of poultry netting--it's easy and fast, and you can take it down when you are done.

So maybe you opt for the makeshift pen, maybe that's inside your coop in a separate cage however you do it, and we encourage creativity, you need to give that socialization period to the entire coop.

And, like Sun Tzu recommends, when you integrate your flock completely, do it at night.

"Let your plans [to integrate your new flock in to the old flock] be dark and impenetrable [and occur at] night"-. Maybe referencing the Art of War was a little dramatic, but in reality, if you integrate your new flock during the night, the old and new flock will wake up together and hopefully be a functioning, and well blended family.

A Clean, Well-Lighted Waterer for Egg Layers

Clean, fresh water is the most important thing to give your chicks and to give your adult layers. Without water, there is no chicken life, nor any eggs for the griddle.

"An eggless griddle is a sad thing. Don't make sad things- water your chickens."

The options for waterers, like chicken feed, are extensive. You can order a complete watering system, or you can build your own custom setup... using these nipples and some ingenuity.

If you are looking to prepare for winter, you are going to need a heater to keep your birds hydrated- no one likes to drink ice, and chickens are no exception. Without a suitable heat source to keep your waterer ice free- you will definitely impact your production rate.

Coop and Run: Best Practices for Layers

So- you have completed the mission of laying the foundation for great layers, they are successfully integrated in the old world order- NOW what? Create a composting machine that will keep your flock supplemented with good vitamins (table scraps, garden trimming) and also help with their digestion.

Chickens are one of the best natural composters you can own, and it's not only easy, but better for your chickens if you can harness this composting power. Just follow these simple steps-

1. Line your run with a straw bedding this is a high carbon base and interacts chemically with high-nitrogen chicken poop.
2. Use a good-quality course and sharp, local river sand in the chicken coop itself. This will aid digestion, keep feathers bright and feet healthy.
3. Throw all scrap food and leafy trimmings into the coop's run.
4. Your chickens will do all the work combing and turning compost while delivering high nitrogen "packages" to break down your refuse into prime gardening material.

So over the straw (which is a high carbon base) you pile your old broccoli, your salad scraps, trimmings from your garden and etc. The chickens will mix this with the river sand from your coop- they will have a wide range of nutrients and great digestions- which all translates into BETTER EGGS!

Chicken Poop = Great Fertilizer

The best part of this equation? Chicken poop is high-nitrogen. So not only are the chickens turning over the organic matter and mixing it with the high-carbon straw, they are also continually helping to break down the matter with nitrogen feces.

So, with a good base of straw, a balanced diet and local river sand you will insure your chickens have the energy they need to grow and thrive.

This all equates to healthy chickens and prime compost for your garden or back yard... and, you guessed it, more eggs than you can handle! Those eggs should also take some of the sting out of cleaning the coop.

Your Layers Chickens Have Made It

Whether or not you follow that entire plan, even implementing a few of those little tricks (like adding river sand to your coop) will help your layers produce more, high quality eggs.

Also, if you think we missed anything in the material above, please share it with us in the comments below.

We are always checking these blogs and updating material to offer our readers/customers the highest quality content we can produce- and our customers are the ones that help us improve- so offer suggestions, and get back to chicken farming!