Can I feed my meat birds layer crumbles....?

Nope.

Layer feed is too low in protein and much, much too high in calcium.

What do you feed them?

Quote:

Originally Posted by dandydoodle 

What do you feed them?

They make several good starter rations on the market today.

I feed my meat birds a pork "meat maker" that is 26%.  They love it.

I fed mine FlockRaiser from Purina.  

I start with one 50# bag of non-medicated start & grow then I change to Flock Raiser for the remainder of their life.  I did this with a flock of 25 and a flock of 14.

Since you are already using Dumor brand you can get their starter which is 24% protein. I am rotating between that and Flock Raiser (which is 20%  protein).  Don't go less than 20% though. My meaties that are only 1 week old are at an average 7 ozs now! 

I fed my laying mash right along with my laying flock.  I feel the increased calcium may have just been the best thing for them under the circumstances~increased liquid loss from constant diarrhea causes a loss of valuable electrolytes, one of which is calcium.  Calcium is needed for proper muscle function and what do most CX die from?  Heart failure under stress.  What is the most prevalent problem CX have with mobility?  Increased growth rate causes too heavy a bird on too weak of bones...which can be better strengthened by additional calcium in the diet.  Muscle weakness is also contributed to calcium loss, along with the other needed electrolytes. 

Imagine you were spending your whole life, from day one, squirting liquid feces.  You would be weakened, prone to muscle dysfunction from your electrolyte loss, prone to heart rhythm changes from the loss in proper muscle function and tonicity, add to this the decreased mobility caused by these weakened muscles and the increased weight from overeating and immobility.  You'd be a mess.  High calcium would be the least of your worries.  I'd be more worried about the high protein intake.

Which I was.  So the lower protein percentages of the layer mash was the perfect solution. 

I had very healthy birds that continued to forage up to 11 wks when they were processed and yielded healthy carcass weights and healthy organs. 

sure you can. The calcium won't make a bit of difference in the long run because you're going to butcher them before the long run gets here ;) what you will notice is a slower rate of gain due to the lower protein content, which also has it's advantages because that often leads to fewer losses due to flip. just plan on feeding them for an extra couple of weeks to reach the same size they would on the higher protein feed.