Uploaded August 2025 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
Most of the incredible claims on the internet about what to feed your chickens to get eggs all year round are just that - not credible.
- Cayenne pepper will make their eggs yolks a deeper colour, but the idea that cayenne pepper might increase their egg laying production has been shown to be false.
- Garlic is good for chickens but it won’t magically make your hens lay eggs all year round.
- Protein is essential for chickens in moderation.
- Many herbs like parsley and nasturtium contain vitamins, which are as important to chickens are they are to us humans.
- Sprouting grains makes them easier for your chickens to eat and digest, and fermenting grains can make some nutrients more bioavailable.
But none of these magically make your chickens lay all year round.
And do beware of products with exciting but vague labels like “Egg Booster”. Some of these just contain vitamins and minerals, but some contain antibiotics such as bacitracin or oxytetracycline, while others don’t admit anything about what they might contain.
You should certainly keep your chickens as healthy and productive as possible by providing them with a balanced and adequate diet, with plenty of protein, vitamins and minerals, fresh clean water, protection from the weather and other stress, and that will all help them to lay well.
But there are also a few extra things you can do that will increase your chances of a yummy breakfast every day all year round.
- Choose your breed carefully. Broody breeds obviously lay fewer eggs in a year. Also choose a particular Line - some breeders concentrate on good looks to the detriment of productivity, so ask about your breeder.
- Lighting levels trigger laying to start or stop. You can control it if you wish.
- Time when your chicks hatch. A young hen should start laying in Spring if she’s at least 5 months old by then, whereas a pullet who is younger than 4 months old in her first Springtime is not going to lay until the next Spring, by which time you will have waited 8 to 12 months.
- Young hens. The first time your young hens come into lay, they might very well start laying in Spring and then lay all the way through the winter and into the following Spring. This first year is the only time they will do this. So you could add young hens every year.
- Store some eggs in the fridge when you’re getting more than you need over summer, for use in winter when your chickens are taking their holiday. Because your eggs start out being so fresh, straight from your very own chickens, clean unwashed eggs will last months - see me open a 6-month-old egg!
- Eat seasonally - lots of eggy dishes in summer when eggs are plentiful and different dishes in winter. I think it’s good for our body and soul to eat seasonally. And in this way our chickens help us to become more in tune with the natural world around us.
This video mentions many of my other videos, so do take a look around my channel for any of interest.
For more fascinating facts, hints and tips about caring for your chickens, and the sheer pleasure of chickens, subscribe to my channel: Chickens in my garden - New Zealand
youtube.com/c/Chickensinmygarden
Catch up with me on Facebook facebook.com/chickensinmygarden
Or if you are more interested in gardens than chickens, you can follow my garden page facebook.com/MyPlentifulGarden
Most of the incredible claims on the internet about what to feed your chickens to get eggs all year round are just that - not credible.
- Cayenne pepper will make their eggs yolks a deeper colour, but the idea that cayenne pepper might increase their egg laying production has been shown to be false.
- Garlic is good for chickens but it won’t magically make your hens lay eggs all year round.
- Protein is essential for chickens in moderation.
- Many herbs like parsley and nasturtium contain vitamins, which are as important to chickens are they are to us humans.
- Sprouting grains makes them easier for your chickens to eat and digest, and fermenting grains can make some nutrients more bioavailable.
But none of these magically make your chickens lay all year round.
And do beware of products with exciting but vague labels like “Egg Booster”. Some of these just contain vitamins and minerals, but some contain antibiotics such as bacitracin or oxytetracycline, while others don’t admit anything about what they might contain.
You should certainly keep your chickens as healthy and productive as possible by providing them with a balanced and adequate diet, with plenty of protein, vitamins and minerals, fresh clean water, protection from the weather and other stress, and that will all help them to lay well.
But there are also a few extra things you can do that will increase your chances of a yummy breakfast every day all year round.
- Choose your breed carefully. Broody breeds obviously lay fewer eggs in a year. Also choose a particular Line - some breeders concentrate on good looks to the detriment of productivity, so ask about your breeder.
- Lighting levels trigger laying to start or stop. You can control it if you wish.
- Time when your chicks hatch. A young hen should start laying in Spring if she’s at least 5 months old by then, whereas a pullet who is younger than 4 months old in her first Springtime is not going to lay until the next Spring, by which time you will have waited 8 to 12 months.
- Young hens. The first time your young hens come into lay, they might very well start laying in Spring and then lay all the way through the winter and into the following Spring. This first year is the only time they will do this. So you could add young hens every year.
- Store some eggs in the fridge when you’re getting more than you need over summer, for use in winter when your chickens are taking their holiday. Because your eggs start out being so fresh, straight from your very own chickens, clean unwashed eggs will last months - see me open a 6-month-old egg!
- Eat seasonally - lots of eggy dishes in summer when eggs are plentiful and different dishes in winter. I think it’s good for our body and soul to eat seasonally. And in this way our chickens help us to become more in tune with the natural world around us.
This video mentions many of my other videos, so do take a look around my channel for any of interest.
For more fascinating facts, hints and tips about caring for your chickens, and the sheer pleasure of chickens, subscribe to my channel: Chickens in my garden - New Zealand
youtube.com/c/Chickensinmygarden
Catch up with me on Facebook facebook.com/chickensinmygarden
Or if you are more interested in gardens than chickens, you can follow my garden page facebook.com/MyPlentifulGarden
