Egg Laying Pullets raelly necessary?

[Smiling Farms]

Well have had my Ladies for a year now, and they lay 1-2 (eggs each) a day. Now over the year I've become much better at chicken raising/farming. We use the following:

Egg Laying Pullet (this is what its called at the co-op)
Granite Grit
Shells for calcium
cracked corn

This is mixed in a large barrel for even feeding. My rooster also eats the mixture he hasn't laid an egg yet..

Now my question is:
Do I need to contine purchasing the egg laying pullet feed since the Ladies know where to lay the eggs? and its been clock work for the past 7 months now....

 

[dave_Cash69]

yes.
the feed is specially formulated to make sure your girls get the proper nourishment they need in order to continue producing eggs and continue to be healthy and happy.

 

[luvmychicknkids]

I feel confused.

So ALL of your chickens routinely lay one or two eggs EACH a day? I know some do lay twice a day on occasion but certainly not more than one to a person, I would think. And you are contemplating taking away the ONLY feed you give them? The other stuff isn't "food". Just trying to clarify this.

 

[MissPrissy]

The egg laying pellets are formulated to help the hens produce the highest amount of eggs possible. It is a feed geared specifically for production of eggs.

Where your hens lay has nothing to do with the feed they eat. How much they lay depends on the feed you give them. If you stop feeding them the laying pellets your eggs will begin to drop off.

If you only feed them the other items on your list they will begin to weaken and suffer bad conditions that mya eventually cause them to die off.

Grit is only needed when the chickens are eating things that need to be ground up in the gizzard in order to be digested - fibrous things like grass and corn or meaty things like worms, mice, lizards etc.

Oyster shell is generally fed as needed in a free choice feeder - meaning if the hens feel they need the calcium it is always there for the taking.

Corn is a treat. It is not a main staple for a diet. It is like handing a kid candy for 3 meals a day and nothing else. Your hens will get fat, also suffer nutritional deficencies. You will notice feather picking and they will eat the feathers for protein, what feathers they do have won't be shiney and they wil develop other heath issues. The stress will eventually rear its head in illness as they won't be strong enough to fight off disease.

If you want eggs and healthy chickens do not scrimp on their feed. Buy the laying pellets and keep their feeders full.

 

[katrinag]

Now my question is:
Do I need to contine purchasing the egg laying pullet feed since the Ladies know where to lay the eggs? and its been clock work for the past 7 months now....
What would there feed have anything to do with where the eggs are laid?

 

[silkiechicken]

To keep up the fantastic laying ability, you'll want to keep up feeding layer pellets. It's a feed forumulated to meet their nutritional needs so they can lay lots of eggs. Take away some of what they need to lay eggs, and they won't be laying them well for much longer.

 

[Tailfeathers]

I guess I have to ask the question, "Do you really mean "Egg Laying Pellets" or were you correct in saying "Egg Laying Pullets"?

If it's the latter, I'd say not because your birds are past the pullet stage and the feed may be specially formulated for pullets and not hens.

You also don't need t necessarily feed Layer Pellets to keep your hens laying. The percentages of the various ingredients is more important than the name. For example, what's the protein percentage?

We start our birds out on Chick Starter and I can’t remember now if I add anything to that or not. I'd have to go back and check my notes. After six to eight weeks on Starter, we put our, I guess you could say Toddler’s, on Starter/Grower. They stay on Starter/Grower for the next 10-12 weeks and again I can’t remember now if we add anything to that or not. Once the Toddler’s get feathered in good, I begin mixing up a batch of “All Purpose Grower” for them. This consists of a mix of Flock Raiser, Game Bird Flight Conditioner, VigorGrow, Cat Food, Scratch, Oats, DE, Acidophilus, Powdered Milk, Rooster Booster, and maybe something else too. Once they get close to laying I add Layer Pellets to that mix. I've got a formula all worked out that maintains the right amount of protein and such.

God Bless,

 

[WoodlandWoman]

Sometimes feed mills and co-ops may have some different names for the feeds they sell. It sometimes takes a couple of postings back and forth, to figure out what we are each saying. Don't let that scare you off, we're just trying to make sure we understand you.

You need to continue to feed them a complete feed of some type, not just corn. The complete feed you buy has grain in it, but it also has protein, vitamins and minerals in it. Chickens need all of that, to continue being healthy.

 

[Tailfeathers]

Quote:
Well said!

God Bless,

 

[coffeelady3]

Nevermind.

(ok...I'm just confused!)