Confused on different feed selections

[Kai9]

I have a small flock of 7 hens that are a little over a year old (mix of New Hampshire reds and Plymouth rocks) and I have been feeding them a 16% layer feed from Dumor this whole time. Egg production has slowed down a lot in recent months (2-4 eggs/day vs the 5-7 I used to get) and after reading around, it seems a higher protein feed would benefit egg production.

After checking out the shelf, I saw a couple different feeds that have 20% protein, one being labeled “feather fixer”, and another labeled as “all flock”. Getting the “layer” feed seemed like an obvious choice but if a higher protein feed is recommended, why would the layer feed be less than the others? Also, would there be any harm in feeding them a feather fixer feed or an all flock feed vs the layer feed? I’m almost out of feed so I would like to maybe try a different variety to experiment but I don’t want to screw something up by buying the wrong one

 

[pennyJo1960]

Welcome to Backyard Chickens. This is a great place to explore and hang out.

 

[Ridgerunner]

What is the calcium content in those feeds? The All-Flock is probably around 1% which is too low to support egg production. I have no idea what the calcium content is in the feather fixer. Feather fixer is generally recommended to chickens in a molt when they are not laying eggs anyway.

My suggestion is to go with the All-Flock and offer oyster shell on the side. The ones that need the extra calcium for eggshells will usually eat enough while the others will not eat enough to harm themselves.

My question is why have they cut back laying? If they were laying that well on the 16% protein before why isn't it enough now? I understand many people on this forum think a lower protein feed is chicken abuse but I'm used to chickens feeding themselves free ranging. I don't know how much protein they are actually getting free ranging in all seasons but I really don't think it is 20%. Not from what I see. You can feed them the higher protein feed if you wish, it will not hurt them. It will probably make you feel better.

Some typical reasons production drops is that they are molting. I don't know where you are or what seasons you are seeing but chickens can molt at any time of the year. The typical one is the fall molt when the days get shorter, but stress can cause them to molt and stop laying any time of the year, whether a full molt or a partial molt. If you are seeing feathers flying around then some are probably molting.

With their age and with you feeding Dumor I'm guessing you are in the USA. Extreme heat can cause them to cut back on production. Has this drop in production coincided with high heat?

A very common cause of us thinking they are not laying as much is that they hide a nest. That happens a lot. They can be pretty good at hiding a nest from us in the coop or run, let alone if they free range.

Is something getting the eggs? Many critters eat eggs. Most leave some kind of clue, eggshells or a wet spot, but in North America some that do not are snakes, canines, or humans. A snake will eat several eggs and then disappear for a few days while it digests them. Snakes are not consistent so what you describe is not a snalke.

A fox or coyote would probably be more interested in your chickens than the eggs but does a dog have access? A dog will leave the chickens alone but eat eggs.

A human often does not mean a stranger. I don't know if that is a possibility.

So what can you do? If they are out roaming try locking them in the coop or coop/run for a few days and see if egg production increases. If it does you have kept one from a hidden nest or you have locked out an egg eater.

Discretely mark a couple of eggs and leave them down there. If they disappear you know something is getting them.

Odds are fairly good they have just cut back on laying for a while. It maybe hard to determine exactly why. Hopefully soon they will get back to normal.

Good luck!

 

[Kai9]

What is the calcium content in those feeds? The All-Flock is probably around 1% which is too low to support egg production. I have no idea what the calcium content is in the feather fixer. Feather fixer is generally recommended to chickens in a molt when they are not laying eggs anyway.

My suggestion is to go with the All-Flock and offer oyster shell on the side. The ones that need the extra calcium for eggshells will usually eat enough while the others will not eat enough to harm themselves.

My question is why have they cut back laying? If they were laying that well on the 16% protein before why isn't it enough now? I understand many people on this forum think a lower protein feed is chicken abuse but I'm used to chickens feeding themselves free ranging. I don't know how much protein they are actually getting free ranging in all seasons but I really don't think it is 20%. Not from what I see. You can feed them the higher protein feed if you wish, it will not hurt them. It will probably make you feel better.

Some typical reasons production drops is that they are molting. I don't know where you are or what seasons you are seeing but chickens can molt at any time of the year. The typical one is the fall molt when the days get shorter, but stress can cause them to molt and stop laying any time of the year, whether a full molt or a partial molt. If you are seeing feathers flying around then some are probably molting.

With their age and with you feeding Dumor I'm guessing you are in the USA. Extreme heat can cause them to cut back on production. Has this drop in production coincided with high heat?

A very common cause of us thinking they are not laying as much is that they hide a nest. That happens a lot. They can be pretty good at hiding a nest from us in the coop or run, let alone if they free range.

Is something getting the eggs? Many critters eat eggs. Most leave some kind of clue, eggshells or a wet spot, but in North America some that do not are snakes, canines, or humans. A snake will eat several eggs and then disappear for a few days while it digests them. Snakes are not consistent so what you describe is not a snalke.

A fox or coyote would probably be more interested in your chickens than the eggs but does a dog have access? A dog will leave the chickens alone but eat eggs.

A human often does not mean a stranger. I don't know if that is a possibility.

So what can you do? If they are out roaming try locking them in the coop or coop/run for a few days and see if egg production increases. If it does you have kept one from a hidden nest or you have locked out an egg eater.

Discretely mark a couple of eggs and leave them down there. If they disappear you know something is getting them.

Odds are fairly good they have just cut back on laying for a while. It maybe hard to determine exactly why. Hopefully soon they will get back to normal.

Good luck!

Thanks for the info. I’m not sure why they slowed down. Nothing has changed that I know of. They don’t free range, but I built them a mansion, so space isn’t an issue. They don’t seem stressed and I don’t see them attacking each other. I only had one molt during the last cold season, but atm, all of them look healthy with no signs of molting.

I haven’t been able to monitor them, so maybe there are some hens that are getting bullied and aren’t eating enough? I can put out another feeder on the other side of the run to see if that makes a difference.

 

[U_Stormcrow]

"Feather Fixer" if its the Nutrena, is a higher protein "layer"-type formulation.

The best thing you can do is learn the nutritiojnaal needs of your birdss, then learn to read guaranted feed labels - so you can skip the product placement claims and market segmmentation and go straight to the thingss that matter.

Welcome to BYC. We are happy to help wiith those things.

and yes, increasing protein, to a point, will increase egg production and egg size - but the differences are so small (though measurable) that the typical BYCer would never notice them. Those of us who recommend higher protien (technically, I am among them) do so for other reasons.

and once you've ddone some reading, I hope you join thus of us who understand that Crude Protein is an imperfect indicator of whaat we really want to know - Methionine and Lysine content, two critical amino acids. Everything else needs to be right too, of course, but Met and Lys matter. Which one matters more depends on the purpoosee of your flock.

Sudden changes in laying rarely are caused by feed - my fiirst thought would be to look for other things that may haave changed in their environment. Hidden nests, predator pressures, sudden weather changes or particularly harsh weather, illness, injury, similar stressors.