Comparison of 3 Nutrena Feeds

[BonnieBlue]

I have been feeding all flock for several months and have no problems. I do, however, have a hen that is having oops eggs (paper shell laid too soon after the previous egg), and am considering switching to a layer feed to see if the extra calcium will help. She has free and plentiful oyster shell, but I wonder if she needs a calcium in her feed. My pullets are now 19 weeks and I won't be starting new chicks for another year, so All Flock is not a requirement.

Below are the nutrition comparisons between Nutrena All flock, Hearty Hen, and Feather Fixer. I know feather fix is formulated for molt and stress, but it does have a higher protein content. Down side is the calcium is lower than the Hearty Hen.

I would like opinions on if anyone thinks my hen with some problems would benefit from a feed with calciuim (I did a 5 day calcium supplement for her, and after about 10 days, she had a couple of more oops eggs). I would also thoughts on the nutrition breakdown, specifically calcium, protein, and fat, which are the three big differences. I didn't show the vitamins, as they are identical, so a moot point. I do live in a hot environment where summer can cause a bit of stress.

Any thoughts and advice would be appreciated.

 

[MysteryChicken]

I have been feeding all flock for several months and have no problems. I do, however, have a hen that is having oops eggs (paper shell laid too soon after the previous egg), and am considering switching to a layer feed to see if the extra calcium will help. She has free and plentiful oyster shell, but I wonder if she needs a calcium in her feed. My pullets are now 19 weeks and I won't be starting new chicks for another year, so All Flock is not a requirement.

Below are the nutrition comparisons between Nutrena All flock, Hearty Hen, and Feather Fixer. I know feather fix is formulated for molt and stress, but it does have a higher protein content. Down side is the calcium is lower than the Hearty Hen.

I would like opinions on if anyone thinks my hen with some problems would benefit from a feed with calciuim (I did a 5 day calcium supplement for her, and after about 10 days, she had a couple of more oops eggs). I would also thoughts on the nutrition breakdown, specifically calcium, protein, and fat, which are the three big differences. I didn't show the vitamins, as they are identical, so a moot point. I do live in a hot environment where summer can cause a bit of stress.

Any thoughts and advice would be appreciated.

View attachment 4300847

Feather Fixer is actually just a higher protein layer feed, not for molting hens.

What are extras that you give out as treats, how often?

 

[BonnieBlue]

There are 8 of them, and I put a handful of dried mealworms in their mash every morning. (Warm mash in the winter and chilled mash in the summer.) The mash/mealworms is their only treat.

 

[FunClucks]

You say you did a calcium treatment for 5 days. What dosage of calcium, how often, and how did you administer it? What type of calcium exactly? Oftentimes, if a hen is having issues such as this, recommendation is 500-600 mg Calcium citrate with vitamin D (human vitamin), one pill a day, pop it in their beak and watch them swallow, for up to a month. It can take up to a month to see positive change. For new layers, this can be enough, and they don't need help again. Sometimes, if they have a genetic calcium carbonate processing deficiency, you will need to repeat this treatment every few months when fragile egg shells start to show up again until the bird ceases laying for good.



I would bet that all the feeds shown have calcium carbonate (due to cost usually). If you change your feed to have more calcium carbonate, and she has a calcium processing issue with calcium carbonate, it may or may not help. Is she eating the white rocks (oyster shell)? If not, the feed might help, if she's eating them and still has this issue, I suspect something else may be going on. Also, have you tried a different type of oyster shell? They have chunk and flake, some birds are picky and will only eat one configuration or the other.

Agreed, both Feather Fixer and Hearty Hen are layer feeds - you can tell from amount of Calcium in the feed.

Note: Most products are not 100% oyster shell, as long as the chemical content is correct, source of the calcium carbonate is less important as long as your bird will eat it.

 

[thecatumbrella]

Went through a very similar situation. I would have transitioned them to Feather Fixer to keep the protein up.

 

[Ridgerunner]

I do, however, have a hen that is having oops eggs (paper shell laid too soon after the previous egg),

Do you mean she is laying two eggs in the same day? If so, she is releasing two yolks to start eggs too close together. She only makes enough shell material to cover one egg so she doesn't have enough to cover the second. If the other eggs from her and the others are firm enough the problem is not a lack of calcium, the problem is that she is releasing too many yolks too close together.

When I have a problem, I try to determine if it is a flockwide problem or an individual hen problem. I don't want to mess up the rest of the flock if it is just one hen. This sounds like an individual hen problem, not a flockwide problem. Plenty of people do great feeding All-Flock with oyster shell on the side.

This does not sound like it is a new layer or an especially old hen. It sounds like you have a hen that just has an oops issue. I don't know any cure for releasing two yolks in one day. You calcium supplement effort did not work. I think it is just something you'll have to live with. I would not hatch any of her eggs in case it was hereditary.

Sorry.

 

[BonnieBlue]

Yes, she will be 3 in July. She did this a handful of times last spring then settled into having all normal eggs. (Not two in a day without having enough calcium to make a good shell on the second one, tho the first is normal.) She has already done it as many times in February as she did last spring. It is isolated to her, as of now. Her sister (same age from same batch) is not. Rest of flock is six 19-week old pullets who are not yet laying.

I don't have a rooster, so not worried about hatching.

I am trying to find something that will help her before I give up and say it's an issue I just have to live with. She is the Head Mother Clucker in charge, and I have before described her as a benevolent ruler. She is such a good hen because of that, culling is not an option. I was hoping a bit of extra calcium in a layer feed might help at least decrease the incidences.

Going back through my journal I know she did this every now and then through her first two years. Just a handful of times each year.