How much brewers yeast and where do you get yours?

[Kalileigh09]

Ok so I have a mixed flock of laying hens and ducks (mostly hens as well from my best guess but too young to lay). Currently, I feed a chicken layer feed and put a cup of brewers yeast per gallon of food and mix it before putting it in their feeder. All the birds seem very healthy. The hens lay well and the ducks look healthy with no problems walking. The problem is it’s like $40 for a gallon on Amazon and don’t last super long. Does anyone else have a better place to get it or other feed ideas? None of the all flocks say they are for layers and I don’t want to mess them up changing around feed when they seem to be doing very well.

 

[Jenbirdee]

Do you have any drakes and or roosters in your flock? If so then they should not be eating any layer feed - its too much calcium for them
The All Flock or FlockRaiser feeds really are great if you have a mixed flock! but like you said they dont have the extra calcium, what we do is we put out bowls of crushed and/or flaked oyster shells on the side, the girls will eat as much as they need, the boys may try it at first but them they leave it alone. I also save and rinse off and dry all the eggshells from my flock's eggs, then i crush them into dime size bits and add them to the bowl/s of oyster shell.

EDIT TO ADD
I get braggs nutritional yeast from Amazon
I add some to their feed only twice a week now that they are adults. 1 tablespoon per cup of feed

 

[Kalileigh09]

Do you have any drakes and or roosters in your flock? If so then they should not be eating any layer feed - its too much calcium for them
The All Flock or FlockRaiser feeds really are great if you have a mixed flock! but like you said they dont have the extra calcium, what we do is we put out bowls of crushed and/or flaked oyster shells on the side, the girls will eat as much as they need, the boys may try it at first but them they leave it alone. I also save and rinse off and dry all the eggshells from my flock's eggs, then i crush them into dime size bits and add them to the bowl/s of oyster shell.

EDIT TO ADD
I get braggs nutritional yeast from Amazon
I add some to their feed only twice a week now that they are adults. 1 tablespoon per cup of feed

No roosters, one drake
You only feed the yeast twice a week?
I have an 18gallon feeder so I’m not sure how I’ll do that
They have a bowl of oyster shells and one of grit already and I save the eggshells and bake and crush them in the Oyster shells as well.

 

[Jenbirdee]

this is a good article https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/nutritional-yeast-vs-brewers-yeast.1393856/

 

[Jenbirdee]

No roosters, one drake
You only feed the yeast twice a week?
I have an 18gallon feeder so I’m not sure how I’ll do that
They have a bowl of oyster shells and one of grit already and I save the eggshells and bake and crush them in the Oyster shells as well.

how many days does it take for them to eat all 18 gallons?

 

[Kalileigh09]

Do you have any drakes and or roosters in your flock? If so then they should not be eating any layer feed - its too much calcium for them
The All Flock or FlockRaiser feeds really are great if you have a mixed flock! but like you said they dont have the extra calcium, what we do is we put out bowls of crushed and/or flaked oyster shells on the side, the girls will eat as much as they need, the boys may try it at first but them they leave it alone. I also save and rinse off and dry all the eggshells from my flock's eggs, then i crush them into dime size bits and add them to the bowl/s of oyster shell.

EDIT TO ADD
I get braggs nutritional yeast from Amazon
I add some to their feed only twice a week now that they are adults. 1 tablespoon per cup of feed

Earthborn Elements Brewer’s Yeast 1 Gallon Bucket, Pure & Undiluted, Inactive Yeast https://a.co/d/auMzGZg

I get this it is more upfront but cheaper by the ounce. I’ve read the inactive is fine I would be interested if you agree this is got to use though it seems I may be over feeding it.

 

[Kalileigh09]

how many days does it take for them to eat all 18 gallons?

A while it hold more then a 50lb bag but I usually don’t completely fill it
Maybe two weeks

 

[Kalileigh09]

this is a good article https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/nutritional-yeast-vs-brewers-yeast.1393856/

Thank I may need to switch to nutritional yeast as well lots to think about now lol

 

[Jenbirdee]

A while it hold more then a 50lb bag but I usually don’t completely fill it
Maybe two weeks

I think you could just put like 1/3 as much as you’ve been putting of the yeast into the feed because two days a week is approximately 1/3 of a week

 

[Kalileigh09]

I think you could just put like 1/3 as much as you’ve been putting of the yeast into the feed because two days a week is approximately 1/3 of a week

Thank you! I’ll try that