How to Help Chickens Lay Eggs Without Mash

Help chickens lay more eggs with a diet tailored to the nutritional requirements of laying hens. Instead of using laying mash, feed the birds other sources of the minerals and vitamins needed to produce eggs. Read the ingredient labels of laying mash and match the nutrients with supplements and additives mixed in with high-protein grains. Blend your own grain-based feeds to custom fit the needs of your chickens.

Use layer-formulated feeds in different forms such as pellets and crumble if you don't want to feed mash. Reduce dust and wind loss with these products. Make sure the laying-chicken rations contain at least 15 percent protein. Use coarser feed in place of fine mash if you spread your chicken feed on the ground for free-range birds. Give chickens table scraps, garden vegetables and other sources of protein along with scratch feed made with a mix of different grains.

Give chickens high amounts of calcium, a nutrient essential for egg shell production. Feed chickens a diet comprised of two to three percent calcium, the same percentage they would get from mash. Provide calcium to chickens in the traditonal manner with oyster shells mixed in with the fine gravel or grit chickens need to digest their food. You can also give hens calcium by feeding them crushed bones, greens and milk. Recycle egg shells by feeding them to the laying hens.

Encourage chickens to lay eggs by building them nesting boxes filled with clean dry material such as straw. Make the boxes about 12 inches by 12 inches. Place them inside the hen house or in an out of the way place. Hens like privacy and prefer to be hidden while laying eggs. Build one box per three or four hens, as they share nests. Remove the eggs daily to stimulate the chickens to lay more eggs. If the nests fill up, the chickens will begin to brood and stop laying eggs.

Keep a fluorescent light on in the nesting area, as chickens lay eggs in response to light stimulation. Use this technique to keep chickens laying eggs longer as the seasons change to shorter days. Leave chickens alone as they lay eggs and try to keep them from being disturbed. Provide as stress-free an environment as possible. Keep the chickens' nesting area clean and maintain the health of the flock for optimized egg production.