Feed Quality- Long Term Effects?

[Folly's place]

Which is why it's necessary to actually assay each batch of ingredients in a feed at the mill, because of this variability. And why it's so very difficult to make a good feed at home!
I'm delighted to buy feed at the feed store from good companies, all done for me already.
Mary

 

[Banana01]

I

I acquired a flock of chickens from a couple who was moving in August. 1 ISA Brown, 2 Golden Comets, and 7 Columbian Wyandottes. The Wyandottes hatched around Easter 2021, the brown gals are of unknown age.

The chickens and all of their gear were free in exchange for pulling down a half fallen pine! However, all chickens were confined and fed only cracked corn when we got them. The older gals had not been laying.

I have switched them to 16% layer feed on mobile pasture. They have access to grit and oyster shell. The older hens started laying about a week after we got them. Overall the gals seem happy. Their poops look normal now, not so much on the corn.

I am seeing soft shell eggs fairly regularly from one or more of the older hens. This seemed to improve with a vitamin supplement added to their water, but a month later has reappeared. Could this be due to prolonged inadequate diet?

Is much known about the long term consequences? I'd like to get a roo in the spring and work toward a self sustaining flock. Would poorly fed gals be suitable to breed? One of the Wyandottes is massive and matured much earlier, traits I'd like to select for. Thanks!

Long term effects? Variety was the key for growing my flock from 1 to well over 60 healthy chickens.

When I was first starting a flock, they were raised on whole corn and free ranging grass/insects for many many months, and it was deficient. After I discovered the purina feeds as an option, along with corn, they were doing better. Now i offer two types of feed along with whole and cracked corn, and their health is amazing, and they grow reliably.

Other people where i live just throw a handful of corn and free range, and their hens often grow bigger than mine. Corn and rice to a lesser extent are excellent foods for chickens, but not as the primary food because it is deficient in nutrients by itself. I have optimal health providing several types of feed, including feed with vitamins, and letting the chickens eat what they want. I find they free range all day on grass and insects as a supplement, but they eat corn every day as probably 1/2 their intake with the purinas and its their choice. They are very happy chickens.

You may also try provoding your hens some eggshells to eat to supplement their calcium.

 

[saysfaa]

...
I'd like to get a roo in the spring and work toward a self sustaining flock. Would poorly fed gals be suitable to breed? One of the Wyandottes is massive and matured much earlier, traits I'd like to select for. Thanks!

Poorly fed gals are not the most suitable to breed but you can try.
You will probably get fewer eggs, lower hatchability, and some weaker chicks. If you have the time to fuss with it, this might not matter much.
The genes are there even if the hen is stunted. Depending on your goals, will be a bigger problem than their health for your ISA brown and gold comets because they are hybrids. Those lines are so consistent because the dominant/recessive genes are selected for so precisely. The next generation will be much more random. The 'dottes won't have that problem.
In other species, there is some evidence that the environment can affect the expression of genes. I don't know much about it. Even if it does in your situation, you don't have to be out much if you don't like the effects if you get some good pullets or hens along with your rooster so you won't lose a year. Keeping good records will help.

 

[MadGardener]

Poorly fed gals are not the most suitable to breed but you can try.
You will probably get fewer eggs, lower hatchability, and some weaker chicks. If you have the time to fuss with it, this might not matter much.
The genes are there even if the hen is stunted. Depending on your goals, will be a bigger problem than their health for your ISA brown and gold comets because they are hybrids. Those lines are so consistent because the dominant/recessive genes are selected for so precisely. The next generation will be much more random. The 'dottes won't have that problem.
In other species, there is some evidence that the environment can affect the expression of genes. I don't know much about it. Even if it does in your situation, you don't have to be out much if you don't like the effects if you get some good pullets or hens along with your rooster so you won't lose a year. Keeping good records will help.

I don't plan to breed the hybrid gals. One Wyandotte is standing out that I'm considering keeping long term...early maturity and large size compared to her sisters. However, a mostly white bird seems like a bullseye for the many raptors we have around.

Epigenetics is a very interesting field of study. I doubt that puzzle will be cracked in my lifetime but very cool nonetheless.

 

[MadGardener]

I

Long term effects? Variety was the key for growing my flock from 1 to well over 60 healthy chickens.

When I was first starting a flock, they were raised on whole corn and free ranging grass/insects for many many months, and it was deficient. After I discovered the purina feeds as an option, along with corn, they were doing better. Now i offer two types of feed along with whole and cracked corn, and their health is amazing, and they grow reliably.

Other people where i live just throw a handful of corn and free range, and their hens often grow bigger than mine. Corn and rice to a lesser extent are excellent foods for chickens, but not as the primary food because it is deficient in nutrients by itself. I have optimal health providing several types of feed, including feed with vitamins, and letting the chickens eat what they want. I find they free range all day on grass and insects as a supplement, but they eat corn every day as probably 1/2 their intake with the purinas and its their choice. They are very happy chickens.

You may also try provoding your hens some eggshells to eat to supplement their calcium.

I love the idea of a varied diet, but have a real lack of storage. One outbuilding with a door on the property, and it's small. It was a dry sauna which we converted to a garden shed. Definitely not mouseproof, but it's what we can work with until spring at least.

I have been providing oyster shell. I think once our most recent bag of food is gone I'll find a higher protein food suitable for a flock and stick with that to supplement their forage.

I doubt I'll ever truly free range. I'm basically in the middle of the woods on the Blue Ridge Parkway. A mama bear and her yearling cub were nonchalantly lounging in our yard before they realized someone lived here again. I have also seen a bobcat and coyotes. Neighbor dogs wander through the property on occasion. Hawks and eagles cruise by daily. I love the wildlife, hopefully they have lots of other food!

 

[3KillerBs]

A mama bear and her yearling cub were nonchalantly lounging in our yard before they realized someone lived here again.

You probably want to look into electric fencing before the bear gets curious about the potential new food source -- both the chickens and their feed.

 

[MadGardener]

You probably want to look into electric fencing before the bear gets curious about the potential new food source -- both the chickens and their feed.

Oh yeah- I have an electric net on them at about 8,000 volts. Feed is brought into the shed at night. I do have a very secure barrel for feed still in the bag. Not much can be done to secure the shed door. It's a beautiful handmade door that want to keep, but no latch. Hopefully it will be good enough until we can build a workshop. Someday...

 

[debbier98]

I acquired a flock of chickens from a couple who was moving in August. 1 ISA Brown, 2 Golden Comets, and 7 Columbian Wyandottes. The Wyandottes hatched around Easter 2021, the brown gals are of unknown age.

The chickens and all of their gear were free in exchange for pulling down a half fallen pine! However, all chickens were confined and fed only cracked corn when we got them. The older gals had not been laying.

I have switched them to 16% layer feed on mobile pasture. They have access to grit and oyster shell. The older hens started laying about a week after we got them. Overall the gals seem happy. Their poops look normal now, not so much on the corn.

I am seeing soft shell eggs fairly regularly from one or more of the older hens. This seemed to improve with a vitamin supplement added to their water, but a month later has reappeared. Could this be due to prolonged inadequate diet?

Is much known about the long term consequences? I'd like to get a roo in the spring and work toward a self sustaining flock. Would poorly fed gals be suitable to breed? One of the Wyandottes is massive and matured much earlier, traits I'd like to select for. Thanks!

I think feed has alot to do with egg production, growth of chickens etc. I think as long as you give them a well balanced healthy diet, your egg production and quality will greatly improve. My chickens are free range (2 1/2 acre yard) during the day, they have organic feed available to them 24/7. But my girls and my rooster like treats in late afternoons. I generally give them fresh spinach or kale and my girls always produced eggs with hard shells.. But now that it's winter, nights getting below freezing, I need to add some fat to their diet. Problem is, they don't like anything I've tried so far (pumpkin, freeze dried bugs etc.) So at this point I'm stuck on how to add some fat to their diet, and while they have a coop to sleep in at night, with lots of bedding, I still worry that they still get to cold in early mornings, windy days. So if anyone has any ideas on what else I can try to add fat, I'd appreciate it.

 

[U_Stormcrow]

I think feed has alot to do with egg production, growth of chickens etc. I think as long as you give them a well balanced healthy diet, your egg production and quality will greatly improve. My chickens are free range (2 1/2 acre yard) during the day, they have organic feed available to them 24/7. But my girls and my rooster like treats in late afternoons. I generally give them fresh spinach or kale and my girls always produced eggs with hard shells.. But now that it's winter, nights getting below freezing, I need to add some fat to their diet. Problem is, they don't like anything I've tried so far (pumpkin, freeze dried bugs etc.) So at this point I'm stuck on how to add some fat to their diet, and while they have a coop to sleep in at night, with lots of bedding, I still worry that they still get to cold in early mornings, windy days. So if anyone has any ideas on what else I can try to add fat, I'd appreciate it.

according to the newer science, to assist chickens with winter temperatures, you are better off adding energy to the diet in the form of things like Corn, not fat directly, due to the differences in the way the body metabolizes carbs (creates heat) versus fat (does not).

That said, the adjustments are VERY minor, I'm going to continue to recommend a nutritionally complete feed all the time, with any suppliments and/or additions kept below 10% of the total daily diet. At least until the science is far more thoroughly researched.. Even then, I won't be doing it because I don't get the extremes of weather that would justify such feed changes.

Just alerting you to the state of the current research. Which (as is typical for most poultry research) is focused on maximizing production in the first year or so, NOT (necessarily) long term health (pet).

 

[MadGardener]

I think feed has alot to do with egg production, growth of chickens etc. I think as long as you give them a well balanced healthy diet, your egg production and quality will greatly improve. My chickens are free range (2 1/2 acre yard) during the day, they have organic feed available to them 24/7. But my girls and my rooster like treats in late afternoons. I generally give them fresh spinach or kale and my girls always produced eggs with hard shells.. But now that it's winter, nights getting below freezing, I need to add some fat to their diet. Problem is, they don't like anything I've tried so far (pumpkin, freeze dried bugs etc.) So at this point I'm stuck on how to add some fat to their diet, and while they have a coop to sleep in at night, with lots of bedding, I still worry that they still get to cold in early mornings, windy days. So if anyone has any ideas on what else I can try to add fat, I'd appreciate it.

Welcome to BYC and thank you for your reply!

My flock is doing pretty well...the "Wyandottes" are most likely Columbian Rocks, all have started laying.

The older hens are much the same...I have not seen any evidence of molting, laying has slowed but I'm not always able to tell who lays what. At least 2 of the 3 are laying soft shelled eggs. One had a crop issue, and is a bully. She'll be harvested whenever things calm down.

My girls have enjoyed a small amount of black oil sunflower seeds combined with their daily handful of scratch. I can't find a higher protein feed that I like in my area, so I've been serving scrambled egg a couple times a week.

Where are you located?