Feeding molting layers high protein feed

[egyptchick]

I have 11 week old Brahma and Wyandotte chicks that I need to move into my main coop but I have existing layers that are in molt. I feed my chicks Turkey grower as recommended by the breeder but was wondering if it is okay to allow the layers to eat the high protein food for a few weeks. Will it hurt the layers? They aren't laying because of the molt.

 

[Ridgerunner]

You'll get differing opinions on how to feed chickens on this forum, whether when they are growing, laying, or molting. A lot of it is just personal preference and most of it does no harm. There is a very wide range of what percent protein you can feed chickens and them do OK.

My personal preference is to not feed really high protein levels to growing chicks after they have fully feathered out and have a good start. If they are going to become layers, I want their internal organs and their skleleton to mature on pace with body weight. This helps keeps them from starting to lay really early too, which can be a bit risky for them. Obviously the person you got the chicks from feels differently.

I don't up the percent protein during a molt. Many people do. My chickens stop laying eggs when they molt so the protein that was going into egg production can be used for making feathers. Again, personal preference.

I have seen a study where protein levels above 30% does damage to a chicken's internal organs. I don't know what the actual threshhold is for damaging the internal organs, but that 30% is pretty high. I doubt your turkey grower is that high. But think about it just a minute. Do you think there is a reason chicikens are not listed on that bag of turkey grower? Or maybe they are. I'm not looking at it.

Will feeding that higher percent protein hurt your laying flock during a molt. I seriously doubt it. One bite won't kill them. It takes eating most stuff consistently over time to have bad effects.

Another thing that may come into play is what else they are eating. If they forage for a lot of their food or you give them a lot of low protein treats, they can certainly tolerate higher percentages of protein in their feed. The critical thing is how many total grams of protein they eat in a day, not the percentage in part of their feed.

Good luck!!!

 

[egyptchick]

The turkey grower is 22% protein. She along with some other breeders recommended the higher protein feed because of the larger bodied heritage breeds. The idea is to give their bodies a good start before they start laying. I just don't want to hurt my layers and I don't see how I can keep the feed seperate unless I only feed the layers earlier in the pen and let them free range while I feed the chicks but this doesn't sound logical. . I hoped to let them all free range together and eat the feed whenever.

 

[Ridgerunner]

As far as I am concerned 22% is not bad. It's higher than I use but remember it's just personal preference. I sometimes use 20%, depending on the age of the chicks, though after a few weeks I drop back to a lower protein. With mine, they all eat the same thing. I just put oyster shell on the side so the egg layers can eat it if they want it.