Feeding molting chickens

I live in the city and don't have a feed store nearby, so my question is, what can I feed my chickens during their molt as I read somewhere that they need more protein to grow in new feathers. I have a Whole Foods nearby where I can get grains etc if I can feed them something like that. Thanks

Hardboiled egg (mashed up) is a good protein supplement. What is the protein content of the regular feed that you're giving them?

Black Oil Sunflower Seeds as a treat

Fishmeal or even canned tuna/mackerel, etc.

yogurt, cottage cheese, scrambled eggs,

Spinach has decent protein too if your birds are caged (mine free range, therefore don't appreciate an extra leafy item till winter time)...tuna (almost any meat scraps), sunflower seeds, etc...

ETA: If you have pet stores around, maybe crickets, meal worms, etc. as well...

It looks like 16% protein in the layer pellets. Thanks for all the info, the girls will be happy for new dietary items!

Most feed stores will have a game bird raiser or flock raiser feed that is usually 20%. You could also try a bag of that.

Quote:
Dave, I wonder about feeding starter to a molting hen. Though it does have higher protein, I understand the "antibiotic" is actually an antacid. That the "antibiotic" had been in common use for ulcers before the new stuff some years ago. It seems to me that young chicks. like infants, can't digest food well as they don't produce stomach acid sufficiently. Fine, the antacid probably has some antibiotic activity on its own aside from reducing the production of acid.

I wonder if an adult bird, tho with a crop and not a usual stomach, produces _some_ digestive acid that also neutralizes bacteria and virus the bird consumes. That giving the antacid to an adult bird might leave it exposed to some bacteria and virus it was previously neutralizing.

I have a molting hen, my first, and fed it starter. Other of my birds ate the starter as well. The hen as become ill and an otherwise healthy roo now unhealthy stool.

Possible?

BillJ

Quote:
Dave, I wonder about feeding starter to a molting hen. Though it does have higher protein, I understand the "antibiotic" is actually an antacid. That the "antibiotic" had been in common use for ulcers before the new stuff some years ago. It seems to me that young chicks. like infants, can't digest food well as they don't produce stomach acid sufficiently. Fine, the antacid probably has some antibiotic activity on its own aside from reducing the production of acid.

I wonder if an adult bird, tho with a crop and not a usual stomach, produces _some_ digestive acid that also neutralizes bacteria and virus the bird consumes. That giving the antacid to an adult bird might leave it exposed to some bacteria and virus it was previously neutralizing.

I have a molting hen, my first, and fed it starter. Other of my birds ate the starter as well. The hen as become ill and an otherwise healthy roo now unhealthy stool.

Possible?

BillJ

Most chick starter have Amprolium (Coid) or Lasalocid Avatec (Bovatec) and neither one is a, "antacid"...

Chris

where did that come from? Medicated feed....antacid?.......NO........
Well I need to rethink everything.