Flock raiser versus laying crumble

[veronicadm8]

Hi all!
so recently, I’ve had some young chickens die. Have been raising chickens for about 8 yrs, never had a problem. First necropsy showed nothing, but second showed visceral gout. All birds were very well appearing and no signs of illness prior to death. i did some research and switched them to a flick raiser since then, but just yesterday I got 8 eggs from my flock of 20. Should I just add oyster shell? my hunch is they’ll all eat it, laying or not. What’s your preference?

 

[VeryHappyHens]

Hi all!
so recently, I’ve had some young chickens die. Have been raising chickens for about 8 yrs, never had a problem. First necropsy showed nothing, but second showed visceral gout. All birds were very well appearing and no signs of illness prior to death. i did some research and switched them to a flick raiser since then, but just yesterday I got 8 eggs from my flock of 20. Should I just add oyster shell? my hunch is they’ll all eat it, laying or not. What’s your preference?

Yes add oyster shells. You could separate them and just feed the chick flock raiser and the adults layer!!

 

[chickentrains]

I mixed the layer and the grower pellets together. that way all of my girls got what they needed (and then some). they are all on layers now, and doing fine.

 

[RoostersAreAwesome]

I feed my hens (who are currently laying) flock raiser with oyster shell on the side. I haven’t noticed any reduction in egg quality. Their eggs actually have pretty tough shells.

 

[Gallinarium]

I raised my chicks on normal chick grower, now they're on "All-flock" with oyster shells on the side. I raised my last flock on just chick feed then layer + oyster shells, I haven't noticed any difference in health or egg quality. I definitely get more eggs with this flock, but my last chickens were mutts, so that's understandable.

 

[NatJ]

Should I just add oyster shell? my hunch is they’ll all eat it, laying or not. What’s your preference?

If you put the oyster shell in a separate container, most chickens do a good job of eating the right amount for their needs.

A rooster or a chick might have a few bites to see what it tastes like, but not eat enough to cause any harm to themself. And a laying hen will usually eat enough each day that she can lay eggs with nice sturdy shells. (Hens who lay softshell eggs anyway do happen, but they are relatively rare.)

 

[Ridgerunner]

What’s your preference?

There is a lot of discussions and different opinions on this about risks and benefits. Since I practically always have juveniles in my flock I feed a low-calcium feed with oyster shells on the side. Your egg shells will tell you if they are getting enough calcium. Mine do.

It's not about how much calcium is in one bite, it's about how much total calcium they eat in a day. If yours forage for a lot of their food what you feed them may not matter that much anyway. The way I look at it feeding them a low calcium feed and offering oyster shell on the side is the best I can do.

First necropsy showed nothing, but second showed visceral gout.

You said you did your research, then you know many different things can cause gout. It's not just excess calcium. If you have been feeding yours the same way for 8 years and this is just showing up maybe something else is triggering it. They can live with some liver or kidney damage, it's not always real clear cut what the underlying cause really is. This stuff is often not easy.

just yesterday I got 8 eggs from my flock of 20.

I really doubt calcium levels have much if anything to do with this. If anything, it should affect how thick the shells are, not how many eggs are laid. I have no idea what else is going on with your flock so I don't know what could be causing this.

 

[spartacus_63]

Hi all!
so recently, I’ve had some young chickens die. Have been raising chickens for about 8 yrs, never had a problem. First necropsy showed nothing, but second showed visceral gout. All birds were very well appearing and no signs of illness prior to death. i did some research and switched them to a flick raiser since then, but just yesterday I got 8 eggs from my flock of 20. Should I just add oyster shell? my hunch is they’ll all eat it, laying or not. What’s your preference?

What is the calcium content of the flock raiser?

 

[veronicadm8]

Yes add oyster shells. You could separate them and just feed the chick flock raiser and the adults layer!!

I only have adult birds. My concern is just that they aren’t all laying, and with the visceral gout issue I don’t want them getting too much calcium

 

[EggSighted4Life]

Should I just add oyster shell? my hunch is they’ll all eat it, laying or not. What’s your preference?

I prefer Flock raiser and oyster shell is always free choice on the side when there are active layers in the flock.

Explained well by NatJ is also my reasoning.

Flock raiser feed is about 1% calcium according to my recall.

I only have adult birds. My concern is just that they aren’t all laying, and with the visceral gout issue I don’t want them getting too much calcium

Since making the switch away from layer and using FR year round, my elder birds now molt softer, maintain their character more, return to lay sooner (if).. just have over all better supported immune systems.. thanks to the additional amino acids, etc.

I agree with Ridgerunner that calcium level is only ONE factor and other things are MUCH more impactful such as genetics AND/or EXCESS calories from ANY treat source reducing OTHER nutrients.

I commend you for looking into possible causes and doing your best to take action! The flock raiser is also higher in niacin and other things.. it's a good choice for my flock and I have ZERO problem suggesting it for others IF it meets their needs and serves their purpose!

Couple quick questions.. reviewing the things you've said.. First, sorry for your losses and second thank you for being brave enough to seek answers.

What is your version of "young" chicken dying? Age please, and breeds of each.. these necropsies were done professionally? By a personal vet or state poultry lab? Can you share which state and how much it cost you? How many deaths, how far apart? Are these your first deaths in the 8 years?

What's been written so far isn't pointing to the deaths actually being related. Hope the rest continue to thrive!