FOOD OPTIONS- THOUGHTS?

[CluckingQueen]

Looking at some new food options.

Our vet reccomended a food with at least 2% calcium. What would you pick?? More protein and less of the other stuff or the one with all the vitamins & and pre/prebiotics and a little less protein?? Option 1 or 2?

They are supplemented with free access to oyster shells and give a variety of fruit/vegtables daily.

Option 2 is our current feed. Both are crumbles.

 

[DobieLover]

Looking at some new food options.

Our vet reccomended a food with at least 2% calcium. What would you pick?? More protein and less of the other stuff or the one with all the vitamins & and pre/prebiotics and a little less protein?? Option 1 or 2?

They are supplemented with free access to oyster shells and give a variety of fruit/vegtables daily.

Option 2 is our current feed. Both are crumbles.

I'd leave it the way you have it. Just make sure that the oyster shell containers always have large pieces in them and not just powder.
Why is your vet making that recommendation? The second feed IMO is much better.

 

[Shadrach]

Both are fine with regard to protein although the American readers will likely recommend the feed with 20% protein.
The rest depends on what chickens you have. If you have males, pensioners, pre point of lay pullets or chicks then the second option with the lower calcium would be my choice.

 

[CluckingQueen]

I'd leave it the way you have it. Just make sure that the oyster shell containers always have large pieces in them and not just powder.
Whey is your vet making that recommendation? The second feed IMO is much better.

One of our hens had a piece of egg membrane that deflated & got stuck. She is being treated with anti biotics and anti inflammatories at the moment.
This is not the first hen that has had this issue. They have 2 containers in the run that have shells & 2 for grit.

I feed shells not powder.

 

[CluckingQueen]

Both are fine with regard to protein although the American readers will likely recommend the feed with 20% protein.
The rest depends on what chickens you have. If you have males, pensioners, pre point of lay pullets or chicks then the second option with the lower calcium would be my choice.

They are all layers.

 

[K0k0shka]

16% protein is very low, lower than the usual 17% layer feed, and even that's considered low. I would not use the 16%. The 20% is much better. Calcium isn't a high priority when picking which feed to use, because you can (and should) always supplement calcium on the side, which you are already doing with the oyster shell. Don't get too hung up on the "other stuff" either, like pre/probiotics, that's mostly fluff to make the human feel better. Any feed you pick will probably be fine in terms of the extras, as they don't vary all that much. Protein is what varies more feed to feed.

 

[CluckingQueen]

16% protein is very low, lower than the usual 17% layer feed, and even that's considered low. I would not use the 16%. The 20% is much better. Calcium isn't a high priority when picking which feed to use, because you can (and should) always supplement calcium on the side, which you are already doing with the oyster shell. Don't get too hung up on the "other stuff" either, like pre/probiotics, that's mostly fluff to make the human feel better. Any feed you pick will probably be fine in terms of the extras, as they don't vary all that much. Protein is what varies more feed to feed.

That makes sense. Thank you!
I do keep oyster shells available to them whenever they want in a couple of places in the run.
They also get a variety of veggies/herbs daily
Thank you! I will keep them on what they are eating currently.

 

[nuthatched]

Cut back on the treats to help them get a balanced diet.

 

[Ridgerunner]

One of our hens had a piece of egg membrane that deflated & got stuck. She is being treated with anti biotics and anti inflammatories at the moment.
This is not the first hen that has had this issue. They have 2 containers in the run that have shells & 2 for grit.

I feed shells not powder.

You have a special situation. You have a history of them having this problem. If it were just one hen I'd suggest she is either not eating the extra calcium you make available or her body is not processing the calcium she does eat. You are dealing with living animals. While most might a body that reacts as it should or most will have certain behaviors, not all do. If she were the only one I'd suggest you have an individual hen problem, not a flockwide problem, and you should treat the individual and not the rest of the flock.

It sounds like she was laying a no-shell egg. Do you often get no-shell or soft shelled eggs? It sounds like you might. Or double yolked eggs? That could indicate another issue.

Some people feel you need to feed them a high amount of protein. They have their reasons for that. I don't, partly because they survived and thrived for thousands of years by getting everything they eat by free ranging, humans not feeding them anything. To me the increased protein is more about production, not health. But many people I respect on here consider the higher protein necessary.

I don't know what is going on. Since what you are doing is not working I'd switch to the other feed. I don't know if it will help or not but it is something you can easily change. I would continue to offer the oyster shells free choice.

You can cut back or eliminate those fruits and veggies too. Those should not be causing any problems unless you feed them a lot but they are not necessary. Your feed contains all that your chickens need, they don't need anything from those fruits or veggies. People feed them because it makes them feel better because they think they are helping or they are making the chickens happy. I feed mine fruits and veggies in season, but mine forage for a lot of what they eat anyway. I don't try to micromanage every bite they eat.

Good luck. I do not consider your problem as something easy.

 

[CluckingQueen]

You have a special situation. You have a history of them having this problem. If it were just one hen I'd suggest she is either not eating the extra calcium you make available or her body is not processing the calcium she does eat. You are dealing with living animals. While most might a body that reacts as it should or most will have certain behaviors, not all do. If she were the only one I'd suggest you have an individual hen problem, not a flockwide problem, and you should treat the individual and not the rest of the flock.

It sounds like she was laying a no-shell egg. Do you often get no-shell or soft shelled eggs? It sounds like you might. Or double yolked eggs? That could indicate another issue.

Some people feel you need to feed them a high amount of protein. They have their reasons for that. I don't, partly because they survived and thrived for thousands of years by getting everything they eat by free ranging, humans not feeding them anything. To me the increased protein is more about production, not health. But many people I respect on here consider the higher protein necessary.

I don't know what is going on. Since what you are doing is not working I'd switch to the other feed. I don't know if it will help or not but it is something you can easily change. I would continue to offer the oyster shells free choice.

You can cut back or eliminate those fruits and veggies too. Those should not be causing any problems unless you feed them a lot but they are not necessary. Your feed contains all that your chickens need, they don't need anything from those fruits or veggies. People feed them because it makes them feel better because they think they are helping or they are making the chickens happy. I feed mine fruits and veggies in season, but mine forage for a lot of what they eat anyway. I don't try to micromanage every bite they eat.

Good luck. I do not consider your problem as something easy.

I have gotten a few double yolks & soft shells in the past from younger hens - very few though and never from this particular hen. She has always had nice shells.
This particular hen has been a very good layer up to this point.