Chick crumbles not ok for adult chickens?

[Cindy in PA]

I agree that it may be easiest to feed all flock or chick starter. 30+ years ago no one was so into the feed stuff & most people I know fed layer feed year-round. There was no internet where every subject was beat to death. I normally cycle out my hens every 2-3 years but early on the kids had some pets. 2 of them lived 9 years on layer feed year-round. My roosters ate it also. Presently I have a rooster & for his 3 years of life he has been on layer or all flock depending on what I get. Right now I am feeding Kalmbach All Flock because I have 8-week-olds in with the rooster & 6 two-year-old hens. For people who only have actively laying hens. Kalmbach makes a 20% laying feed & Purina makes a 19% feed. Not all layer feeds are only 16%. Feather Fixer is not a low calcium food. It is lower at 3.25%.

 

[Lizzyduff]

Exactly! Molts this year lasted days, not weeks, except in the case of one older hen who had a very hard molt, but even she was done in a couple of weeks.

Wow! This is so good to hear. My Trouble (2 year old) had a very hard moult last year and then yesterday she shook her feathers... and her tail fell off. Based on all of y'all stories here I've switched all my hens to starter grower with oyster shell on the side. It's so much easier than trying to keep them from eating the chick's food! And I've got my fingers crossed that her moult will go quickly and smoothly this year especially since we're moving across the country in a week! Thanks again for sharing your stories.

 

[Wynter Willow]

Well, I beg to differ. I've been feeding my flock chick starter their entire lives with free choice feeding of oyster shell on the side. The oldest hens have just turned 7 and the next oldest 6 and all are still laying. I have been feeding an average of 20% protein to my flock from day one. Forever.

What brand starter feed do you use? I have been researching the protein topic. I was going to give away a huge bag of organic starter crumbles because I was following the brand’s advice to switch to growing then layer feed. I got some amazing advice to keep feeding it to my girls with the 20% protein. I am so happy for this information. If I hadn’t ordered such a big bag, I might not have known for awhile that many people prefer the 20%. My starter feed is brand Scratch and Peck. I have both mash and crumbles. My girls love the mash.

 

[DobieLover]

I use what's available in my area. Right now I use non-medicated Nutrena starter/grower at 18% in my hanging troughs and 22% fermented broiler mash in my heated dog bowl at 50/50 ratio to hit an average of 20% protein.

 

[Wynter Willow]

I use what's available in my area. Right now I use non-medicated Nutrena starter/grower at 18% in my hanging troughs and 22% fermented broiler mash in my heated dog bowl at 50/50 ratio to hit an average of 20% protein.

Thank you. This is good. I am doing similar with a bit of fermentation so my birds eat all the mash as well as keeping my 20% crumbles. This resonates well. I am researching and learning. Thanks again! Have a beautiful day

 

[RoyalChick]

I think Kalmbach were doing CYA because of the need for more calcium for laying hens.
Kalmbach themselves sell a 20% Flock Maker feed that is quite similar to starter/grower feed.
I use the Kalmbach 20% feeds for everyone. If everyone is laying I use their Full Plume Feathering feed because that is a layer feed with extra calcium. But when I have mixed ages I stuck with the Flock Maker.
I have oyster shell and crushed eggshells available on demand.

 

[Mother of Chaos]

I think Kalmbach were doing CYA because of the need for more calcium for laying hens.
Kalmbach themselves sell a 20% Flock Maker feed that is quite similar to starter/grower feed.
I use the Kalmbach 20% feeds for everyone. If everyone is laying I use their Full Plume Feathering feed because that is a layer feed with extra calcium. But when I have mixed ages I stuck with the Flock Maker.
I have oyster shell and crushed eggshells available on demand.

If they would make a Reserve (whole-grain) version of Flock Maker, I’d be a happy camper. Our chickens greatly prefer Chickhouse Reserve, but I have to serve it fermented (or at least wet) to make sure that they also eat the pelleted bits of extra nutrients. I want to have a dry feed that is always available in the hanging feeder, thus the Flock Maker.