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Great question! Every chicken is going to lay eggs that have some abnormality to them. It doesn’t usually happen very often but it does occur. Even commercial birds lay these odd eggs; it’s just that you never see those eggs since they are not the expected shape. Those eggs go to a different...

Hi there, I would offer that Piper may not need a protein “snack.” She may be getting the nutrition that she needs from her diet. If you are feeding a complete feed, then the birds should be getting all of the nutrition that they need from that diet. Birds are pretty good about regulating their...

Interesting topic you’ve got here. If all goes according to plan, she should start laying eggs around 18 weeks. However, things happen and occasionally you get a hen that has a genetic condition that is going to prevent her from laying eggs. The reason that her comb and waddles are pale and...

Great questions! Once your birds at 18-20 weeks old, or when they lay their first egg, you can switch them over from a starter-grower feed to layer feed. Click here to find more info about choosing a layer feed and making the transition easy. There isn’t a set guideline because there is a wide...

Hi there! Complete poultry feeds, such as Purina Flock Raiser, contain enough niacin for growing ducks. There is no need to supplement with extra niacin if using that feed. This makes it easier for you since you don’t have to try and find a source of niacin and then figure out the best way to...

Good question! Here is a page from the 9th edition of the Nutrient Requirements of Poultry (1994). This is the most current update. This is the chart that all poultry nutritionists work from with regard to the nutrient requirements of laying hens. You can download a pdf of the entire book...

It is possible that it is a nutrition problem. Feeding a high-quality diet that meets all of the bird’s nutrient requirements is going to be important to maintaining a strong yolk membrane. Purina Layena would provide your birds with the proper nutrition. Nutrition is not the only thing that...

This is a great question, and I want to answer it as completely as I can. This is going to be a rather lengthy response, but I hope that you find it interesting enough to stay with it. I’m not sure how old this USDA poultry management practice is, but here is what I am going to say about old...

Great question! When the birds start laying eggs, then you can switch them over to Purina Layena. If they are not laying eggs, then they should be on Flock Raiser. If you aren’t able to feed them a separate diet, then you can continue to feed them all Flock Raiser. Put out a separate feeder...

Great question, Annasg. Everyone hates when you gather a carton of eggs and excitedly carry them back to the house for breakfast only to find a few have broken along the journey. Strong eggshells are important! Calcium and vitamin D3 are two of the more important nutrients needed to build...

Unfortunately, we often get runts in the hatch and those birds just don’t grow well despite everything that we do. That is nothing that you did, but it could have been an issue during incubation caused a development issue or could be genetics that has caused this bird to not grow well. Neither...

Hi jj11! You are correct to be concerned about you roos health. Layer feed is not what is best for him. All that extra calcium isn’t good for his kidneys. I would suggest that you put him on Purina Organic Starter-Grower if you want to continue with an organic option. Go easy on the seeds or...

Great question! You are correct that most of those changes are from the new diet that they are getting. The bacterial population in your birds’ guts is changing, which is contributing to the change in aroma and the loose stool. Keep an eye on them to make sure that they do not show any other...

Hi Abronsyth, My recommendation is that you provide the 20% starter. I would recommend Purina Flock Raiser. That will cover all of the birds for the entirety of their lives. During the laying season, you could offer a separate feeder with oyster shell for the hens to get calcium when they...

Hi Fairview01, When feed is fermented, it is going to lose some of its nutritional value. In order for yeast to grow and start the fermentation process, they have to be fed. Yeasts are using the sugars in the feed as their energy source. The original feed source now has less nutrition and...

Hi Ahmed, I can’t stress enough how important a diet that provides all of the nutrients a chicken needs to grow is. We know how much of each amino acid (components of protein), vitamins, minerals, and energy (fat and carbohydrates) that the bird needs and how much of each nutrient is in the...

Great topic for discussion! These supplements have their place. However, I would argue that if you are feeding your birds a complete feed, then these supplements should not be necessary. Complete feeds, such as Purina Layena, Start & Grow, or Organic, should contain all of the nutrition the...

Great question! There are a few key differences between medicated starter feeds and an organic starter feed, which you should consider based upon the goals you have for your backyard flock. If you are choosing to raise or feed your birds organically, then you cannot use a medicated starter...

Great question, 3riverschick! We don’t have a feed that specifically targets DHA content, but Layena Plus Omega-3 will increase Omega-3 content of the eggs. That includes DHA. A large egg from a hen fed Layena Plus Omega for at least 21 days should contain about 90 mg of DHA. For comparison, a...

Great topic, prosperityfarms! Thanks for asking. I can’t stress enough how important a diet that provides all of the nutrients a chicken needs to grow is. Years of research goes into each bag of Purina feed. We know how much of each amino acid (components of protein), vitamins, minerals, and...