Completely lost on what to feed my chickens

[Chicken poppy]

A while back i had people consistently telling me that i fed my chickens totally wrong by giving them this (i think henhouse reserve) layer feed, that looked like scratch (But isn’t called scratch) saying it would kill my chickens if i gave to much, so i gave more layer feed pellets.

Now i keep hearing that you need to stop using these layer feed pellets (Layena maybe?) because its going to make them stop laying.

Im completely lost here. Its obviously just me and something im not understanding, can someone explain this to me?

 

[Sussex19]

I use 18% grower for all my flock, with oyster shell on the side for the hens.
This is certainly a good option, but if you only have hens then a good layer feed is also good.

 

[BigBlueHen53]

While I'm waiting for you to respond ... if your feed looks like loose grain or scratch, your birds will pick out what they like best and leave the rest. So they won't be getting a complete, nutritionally balanced diet. That's why most of the experienced chicken keepers here recommend feeding a pelletized or crumble type feed. The chickens then get a balanced diet. But you also have to provide ground granite grit in a separate dish or feeder in order for them to digest it properly. If some of your birds are laying, they also need another sepate dish of oyster shell in order to form good egg shells; this provides the calcium they need.

If ALL your birds are laying, you can feed a layer feed like Layena with no worries. But if you have males, or young or old hens who are not laying, or birds that are molting, you should feed an all-flock formula that does not contain added calcium. There is some evidence that the added calcium in a layer feed is hard on the kidneys of non-laying birds.

I hope this helps!

 

[Ridgerunner]

A while back i had people consistently telling me that i fed my chickens totally wrong by giving them this (i think henhouse reserve) layer feed, that looked like scratch (But isn’t called scratch) saying it would kill my chickens if i gave to much, so i gave more layer feed pellets.

Now i keep hearing that you need to stop using these layer feed pellets (Layena maybe?) because its going to make them stop laying.

Im completely lost here. Its obviously just me and something im not understanding, can someone explain this to me?

It is not just you. There is a lot of confusing information out there. We have so many different goals, preferences, flock make-ups, and use different management techniques so needs are different. There are many different things that work even in the same situation. We have different experiences. Sometimes people read things out of context, they are meant for one situation only but people reading them interpret them to cover all situations. It can be extremely confusing.

I looked up the Kalmbach Henhouse Reserve Layer feed and was pretty disappointed in the amount of information available. Only giving Protein, Fat, and Fiber in the analysis is extremely unhelpful. Their online description sounds more like a sales pitch than giving solid information I'd use to make a decision. The Kalmbach feed is probably OK but I don't see anything there that makes it any more of a superfood than Purina Layena pellets but they sure use fancy trendy terms. The analysis for Layena is something I could base a decision on.

Henhouse Reserve is a complete, high-protein superfood for chickens. All the appeal of a scratch plus all the nutrition of a complete layer feed. Fully-fortified with all the vitamins, minerals, and amino acids to produce strong shells and wholesome eggs. Includes whole grains and vegetables. Contains LifeGuard®, a proprietary blend of prebiotics, probiotics, essential oils and enzymes that support digestive, immune and health function.

I'll end my rant and try to give you some useful information.

There are two basic differences in chicken feed, percent calcium and percent protein. The other ingredients in the typical analysis like lysine, methionine, sodium are all going to be in essentially the same range so I don't pay much attention to them.

All chickens need some calcium for body maintenance but laying pullets and hens need extra calcium for egg shells. Layer feed will have somewhere around 4% calcium which is enough for egg shells and body maintenance if the Layer feed is all they eat. All other chicken feed should have around 1% calcium. It is not about what is in one bite, it's about the total grams of calcium they eat in a day, and even that is balanced out over a few days. If you give yours a fair amount of treats or if they forage for some of their food then they may not get all of the calcium they need from the feed. Many of us offer calcium supplements (usually oyster shell) on the side so they can eat more calcium if they need it. They are pretty good at knowing how much calcium they need. If they are already getting enough calcium from what they eat that calcium may last years, it will not go bad. But if they need some it will be eaten. Those that don't need a lot of calcium for the egg shells may still need a bit of calcium supplement.

Calium is pretty straight forward. Protein is more complicated but also you have a wide range of what can work. We tend to feed baby chicks that will be part of a laying flock a higher protein diet when they are just starting out (hence the name Starter) to get them off to a good start. Chicken Starter is typically in the range of 18% to 20% protein, though you can get game bird Starter with higher calcium content. After a month or so they don't get that much benefit out of a higher protein content so we sometimes switch to a Grower, which often comes in 16% or 18% protein content. After they start laying many people switch to a Layer feed which typically contains around 4% calcium and 16% to 18% protein, the only real difference from Grower is the calcium. Others don't change at all but consistently feed Chick Starter at 18% to 20% protein or something like All-Flock or Flock Raiser around 20% protein all the time.

Because of the variety in the analysis for these terms I consider them more marketing names and like to read the analysis to see what I'm dealing with. These names give a hint as to the purpose of the feed. Starter, Grower, and Layer are pretty obviousl. All-Flock and Flock Raiser are meant for a flock that will be both for eggs and meat but that doesn't mean they are limited to those labels.

If your flock is intended for other purposes like to show, for meat, or other specific purposes you would probably feed them differently but you are not so I won't go into that. There are studies that show if a rooster eats the same amount of calcium that is in Layer they might, possibly, sometimes could develop some medical problems with internal organs. The same thing for hens that are not laying. Could but it's not a given. If they forage for some of their food then the amount of calcium in the feed is less important because they are not eating as much feed. There are also studies that show growing chicks are more susceptible to damage from excess calcium.

You have four essentially mature chickens, three girls and a boy. I don't know if they forage for much of their feed or not. The way I would approach your situation would be to settle on whatever percent protein low calcium feed you want and feed that with a calcium supplement on the side. I like oyster shell, it is about as straightforward as you can get.

I just have one more question, if a chicken is molting, do i need to give different food to her individually or the flock? Sorry if some of my questions seem silly.

The silly question is the one that is not asked. Wouldn't you feel bad if your chickens were hurt because you were afraid to ask a question.

I do not give mine anything different when they are molting. I typically have juveniles as well as adults in the flock so they don't all molt at the same time anyway.

The speed of molting is controlled by genetics. A fast molter may be over the molt in a month and a half. A slow molter may take five months. That speed is not controlled by how fast the feathers grow back but by how fast they fall out. Increasing the percent protein may marginally get the feathers to grow back faster once they fall out but it is not going to change a hen that takes 5 months into one that only takes 2 months. A lot of people recommend increasing the amount of protein when they are molting butt to me it is not worth it.

A lot of my post reflects my experiences and personal preferences. We all have different experiences and opinions. We have different goals and values. I'm not trying to call anyone else wrong. It's not that there is one right way to do much of anything where every other way is wrong. There are a lot of different ways that work. I've tried to give reasons for why I feel the way I do which contributes to how long this post is. Good luck on finding your way forward.

 

[rosemarythyme]

One of my under a year chickens is a rooster, what should i do for calcium then? Just give it as a option 24/7 but give calcium free feed right?

I don't have males but oyster shell on the side 24/7 should provide the calcium needed. I've also started mixing in crushed eggshell as some birds prefer that over oyster.

Can i use dirt? It mind sound silly, im just asking because i have seen them eat it a lot and id rather use plentiful dirt then buy grit, but i will if i need to buy it.

Dirt is not grit. If you have very hard stones (i.e. granite) in the dirt then that can be used. You're looking for stones around the layer size range.

 

[BigBlueHen53]

Yes it definitely does! Thank you.
One of my under a year chickens is a rooster, what should i do for calcium then? Just give it as a option 24/7 but give calcium free feed right?

Can i use dirt? It mind sound silly, im just asking because i have seen them eat it a lot and id rather use plentiful dirt then buy grit, but i will if i need to buy it.

Sorry, I fell asleep! Thanks to @rosemarythyme for picking up the slack! Chickens have no teeth, so they need grit, little stones that go in their gizzards, strong muscles in their digestive systems that grind up their food. If there is fine gravel where you live they may be picking up what they need from the ground, but IMO it's better to be sure by providing it. It's not expensive and a bag wil last a really long time. Keep in mind that grit and oyster shell (OS) are two different things and they need both. OS is also not expensive and a bag will last a long time. It may even seem like they are not eating it, but they do.

 

[BigBlueHen53]

Also, only the chickens that need calcium will help themselves to the OS. The roosters and others will leave it alone, although a rooster may sample it just to see what it is. Serve the OS and grit in separate bowls; don't mix them.

 

[pony007]

If you shop at tractor supply, look for either Nutrena "All flock" or Purina "Flock Raiser", they are both a higher protein feed (20%) without the added calcium. Tractor supply also sell huge 50lb bags of Manna Pro oyster shell.
I use both products and my girls do very well on it.

 

[BigBlueHen53]

Hi. How old are your birds? Let's start with that, and don't panic.

 

[Ridgeback825]

I recently made my own mix of layer pellets, black sunflower seeds, scratch () split peas and a few supplements like cinnamon and turmeric. Our hodgepodge flock loves it and we also grow some fresh feeds like marigolds, zinnias, comphre and sage. I tend to ignore the ones that have such dramatic reactions like that while outsourcing their wisdom to a single source that all others must bow down to. Lol