Does chicken feed brand affect egg production?

[Kevinp]

Does changing from TSC Producer's Pride feed to name brand like Dumor really effect egg production. I'm skeptical of youtubers who post & claim of doubling egg production after switching. I'l like to hear testimony from others since molting & weather/temps also have effect on egg laying. My 20 hens are down to 5 eggs/day from about a dozen/day now- but many are molting and we've had a cold snap here in Georgia.
I'm also curious if anyone's tried the 2,000 pallet (sack) of Kreamer feed from TSC for $439.99? Would be a challenge to store but would be a pretty significant savings.
Thanks
Kevin
Powder Springs, GA

 

[theoldchick]

The only thing I noticed are shell quality and the amount of poop produced when feeding different brands of feed. And unless you have a good way to store that amount of feed I would pass on buying such a large amount of feed as it may go bad and end up wasting money in the long run.

 

[SueT]

Hens stop laying for the winter. It’s the length of day that determines this. Not the temperature. And probably not the feed.
Feed is perishable. I wouldn’t buy more than I can use within 2 months, and I do check the mill date before buying to make sure it isn’t more than a couple months old. I would be more concerned about the freshness, and the protein content than the brand.

 

[TooCheep]

Doubling of eggs will only occur if the original feed was really poor- like not fit for consumption poor. That said, a better quality feed does help both the health of the chicken and the quality of the eggs with possibly a small increase in quantity.

I'll second @theoldchick's comment about long-term storage. Don't. Feed only keeps so long before it oxidizes and/or absorbs moisture and grows mold.

 

[Shadrach]

I'm skeptical of youtubers who post & claim of doubling egg production after switching.

I would be a lot more than skeptical.
The absolute maximum a hen can lay with their current biology is 365 eggs a year. One a day in other words.
So, if my hen only lays 250 eggs a year, not a bad average if these things are a concern, then with some new feed she should lay 500 eggs a year. Pretty clever given there are only 365 days to do this in.

Hens will lay eggs no matter what one feeds them within reason. They will lay eggs in preference to keeping the nutrition for themsleves.

What a better quality feed may do is improve the quality of the eggs and the hens health.

 

[Krux5506]

I've noticed significant slow down with my layers this fall but again it's kind of a given that its due to shorter days, way cooler temps, etc. They aren't molting yet (next year I assume) and I feed them what I consider a pretty high quality feed from Modesto Milling. The only thing I do question is if I should just get them back on a higher protein chick feed for this time of year. They always have oyster shell on the side as well.

 

[K0k0shka]

Don't get your information from youtubers. Way too many people out there doing things for clicks and likes, people exaggerating for shock value or dramatic effect, too many conspiracy theorists and other filler you should sift through when getting your information. This time of year, conspiracy theories about feed are very popular, when newbies see a drop in egg production and have no idea what's going on. The number of people who don't know that chickens molt, that chickens rest in the winter, and other basic chicken facts, is mind-boggling. The fact that chickens lay through their first winter is extra confusing to such folks. But my hens laid last winter, why aren't they laying now? Clearly somebody's out to get me!

Brand makes no difference at all. What matters more is protein %, added calcium or no added calcium, fresh vs. stale feed, etc. If you notice differences in shell quality between brands and you're only feeding layer feed without supplementing additional calcium, it could be that some brands add more calcium to their layer feeds, and others add less. If the feed is especially low in protein, like 15-16%, the hen's body may not have enough to meet all of its needs - overall health, molting, and laying - and may start to prioritize by reducing the laying. If the hen is actively molting, that takes priority over laying no matter how much protein you provide. Same with daylight - if her body decides there isn't enough daylight to support laying, she'll stop even if she has the best feed in the world. If you want to maximize egg production and overall health, feed a 20% protein feed that has no calcium added (so an all flock type of feed), and have calcium available in a separate container at all times (crushed eggshell or oyster shell). That way the chickens can regulate how much calcium they consume - they are very good at knowing how much they need - and you'll reduce the risk of thin shells or calcium buildup issues associated with consuming too little or too much calcium.

 

[Captain13]

It hasn’t affected the number of eggs that I get, but it does affect the amount of poop generated. I get less poop with Layena than other feeds but the same number of eggs.