Best food for best eggs?

[Smuvers Farm]

We add protein and calcium by way of.... eggs! Take boiled eggs, smash them with the shells still on, and give it to them. As you have 2 pullets, I'd do maybe 1 egg 2-3x a week.

 

[rebrascora]

I feed my layers a 5-way scratch feed, laying pellets, oyster shells, and kitchen scraps if we have any.

You are diluting the protein content of your laying pellets by feeding scratch.... a small amount (5-10%) is ok but any more than that and you are risking health problems long term. Hens will eat scratch in preference to laying pellets but it does not have most of the nutrients they need to produce eggs and stay healthy. Hens are like finely tuned athletes.... their bodies have been developed to be highly productive but they need the correct diet to achieve and maintain that long term. Feed companies have spent a lot of time and money researching this to develop complete feeds that provides it.
In the olden days, when people kept birds on farms, they fed them corn and whatever scraps there were and the chickens foraged the rest and when they stopped laying, they ate them. Chickens did not usually live to a ripe old age.
Most of us now are interested in keeping our hens alive into old age and keeping them healthy, so a balanced diet is important.

Either feeding a "layer" ration or "grower" or "flock raiser"/"all flock" with crushed oyster shell available in a spate container and occasional small treats is the best diet and if you are able to allow them to free range for some of the time on pasture, that will make a big difference to egg quality but has to be weighed against the risk of predation.

 

[Orpingtons43]

You are diluting the protein content of your laying pellets by feeding scratch.... a small amount (5-10%) is ok but any more than that and you are risking health problems long term. Hens will eat scratch in preference to laying pellets but it does not have most of the nutrients they need to produce eggs and stay healthy. Hens are like finely tuned athletes.... their bodies have been developed to be highly productive but they need the correct diet to achieve and maintain that long term. Feed companies have spent a lot of time and money researching this to develop complete feeds that provides it.
In the olden days, when people kept birds on farms, they fed them corn and whatever scraps there were and the chickens foraged the rest and when they stopped laying, they ate them. Chickens did not usually live to a ripe old age.
Most of us now are interested in keeping our hens alive into old age and keeping them healthy, so a balanced diet is important.

Either feeding a "layer" ration or "grower" or "flock raiser"/"all flock" with crushed oyster shell available in a spate container and occasional small treats is the best diet and if you are able to allow them to free range for some of the time on pasture, that will make a big difference to egg quality but has to be weighed against the risk of predation.

I let them free range at least 3-4 hours a day. That was just what the feed store told me was the best. I will be changing their diet today. Thanks for telling me

 

[rjohns39]

IMO the best tasting eggs come from a good balanced feed ration combined with access to fresh grass and bugs. I personally use a low calcium layer/grower at 18% and provide oyster shell and grit free choice. Once my feed mill get's one of their machines fixed I'll be going to a custom blend for my style of husbandry.