Egg food - free choice or regulated?

[Peeks-and-Sherry]

Hi all!

I'm a newbie, have had my two hens for about three months now.

One is a chronic egg layer. I have removed all nests and nesting material, but she is still laying quite often. I am trying my best to keep her well fed and supplemented so that she stays healthy, as I lost a hen very early on in my finch-keeping journey and I think it was due to over-laying.

When my hen passed away, I went to the bird specialty shop nearby and they set me up with better food and some supplements.

They are currently eating a complete seed/pellet mix, are offered fresh veggies, and have free choice access to cuttle bone, Herb Salad, and oyster shell/coral grit. I also got them commercial egg food, which I had been offering twice a week, but am now keeping out free choice because Sherry is in another egg-laying phase.

My question:
The store told me to only give the egg food twice a week as it is so high in protein. Is this sound advice, or should I keep giving it free choice as I have been recently?

Also, are there any other supplements or foods that I should be offering?

[debbie276]

I don't have zebra's so not an expert there but I personally would remove the eggfood. Not sure how high the pellets are in protein but if it's in the mix of seed then I guess that can't be removed. I would get the protein levels down so that the birds hormone levels decrease and they don't think it's time to breed.
Constant egg laying can deplete their body of calcium so you want to keep the calcium supplements readily available.

I'm sure some zebra experts will jump in here to give you more specific advice.
best of luck

[Sally]

Agree with debbie276. When I want to stimulate breeding response in my birds, I give them egg food every day, as the higher protein content in their diet triggers breeding. Non-breeding birds don't need a lot of protein, especially those that are in egg-laying mode.

[lovezebs]

Peeks-and-Sherry

You already have good advice up above.

One thing that I would add to that, is to offer your girls crushed egg shells (for extra calcium). All of my guys love them, and eat them like birdie potato chips.

Elana

[Peeks-and-Sherry]

Excellent, thanks for the advice. I appreciate you giving me the reasoning for removing it. Makes a lot more sense now.

I'll take it out tonight when I get home and then only offer it once to twice weekly.

I've been starting to save up my eggshells, so I will definitely start to offer those as well

[Colt]

Honestly I wouldn't offer the eggfood to a bird at all who chronically lays eggs. The extra protein stimulates her to breed/lay because it mimics good times in the wild when the environment is advantageous to feeding a nestful of hungry babies. Calcium on the other hand is good for her to have.

Regulating light can also be beneficial in curbing the over production of eggs as it mimics shorter days in the winter when they don't breed.