Grower vs layer

[Aero2054]

Hi all!
We have one 3.5yo hen (Penny) and three 19wo pullets that she raised. Penny was broody all last year and wasn't the best layer in the world before that. After the three little ladies were done with chick starter, we put all four on grower due to laziness and being unable to figure out a way to keep the food separate anyway. Penny started laying again and it was the best she's ever laid! Every-other-day without a miss! Yeah!
When the pullets were just days away from being 18wo we switched to layer feed (old stuff was gone so why buy another bag?), and that's what everyone's been eating for two weeks now.
Penny's laying has dropped off like a rock over a cliff. One pullet (Phoebe) has begun laying and we've gotten two little eggs from her so far; nothing from Penny in a week.
At first I thought perhaps she was mad that Phoebe took her nesting box and has been laying elsewhere but I have not come across an egg out of place.

Why would she lay so much better on the grower feed than the layer feed? What might she need a supplement of to keep eating layer feed and still lay decently? I had thought grower feed might be more nutritious because they're obviously growing but if they're laying then they need to pack nutrients into an egg- so aside from calcium what's the major difference(s) between the two? Would it be bad to keep them on grower feed and leave more oyster shell out? (We scatter a bit here-and-there.

TIA

 

[Egghead_Jr]

Protein. I'll hazard a guess that if you look at the nutrition tags of both bags the protein content of grower is 18-20% protein and the layer is 15-16%. Take a look at the tags and let me know if I'm right. Other than that it is getting to the time of year when mature hens molt and that affects laying. Cyclical thing every fall if you're in my climate it's molting time. And again, extra protein during molts will aid in faster molt with less egg production drop. Growing new feathers take protein and making eggs take protein. One has to give if there is a limit to that need given the output is limited too.

In general layer feed is just not the all in one great and easy thing it's promoted to be. A thin egg production type bird does quite well with the 16% protein but a larger dual purpose bird type needs a larger portion to upkeep what their body is designed to carry hence less protein for eggs. If you limit or cap at such a small amount as typical layer feed does there really isn't much room for larger framed birds to wiggle out the protein needed for eggs. In and out function thing.

 

[Molpet]

yeah I get more eggs and more hatch when I feed grower... lots of oyster shells get eaten but that's cheap. I have big dual purpose and the layer just doesn't have enough protein.

 

[Folly's place]

Welcome! I feed everyone Flock Raiser, with oyster shell on the side for the laying hens. It's easy! I always check the mill date on each bag, and buy nothing that can't be fed before it's five or six weeks old. You may have a different choice at your local feed stores, but an all-flock or grower feed is better than a layer, IMO. Mary

 

[chickengeorgeto]

yeah I get more eggs and more hatch when I feed grower... lots of oyster shells get eaten but that's cheap. I have big dual purpose and the layer just doesn't have enough protein.

Duel purpose hens are not designed to lay as many eggs as laying hens do.

When buying the big fuzzy butt hens you get what you pay for, which is fewer eggs. Counting the time out from laying for broodiness in most duel purpose hens, a lot fewer eggs.

 

[Molpet]

Duel purpose hens are not designed to lay as many eggs as laying hens do.

When buying the big fuzzy butt hens you get what you pay for, which is fewer eggs. Counting the time out from laying for broodiness in most duel purpose hens, a lot fewer eggs.

This is true
But hybrid layers or meat birds are prone to lots of health issues and the layers are prone to henapause.
I have a couple of red sexlinks so I get eggs in the winter.
Also I held back a CX hen and have some meaty tasty crosses.. some are good layers and some are the worse LOL
But to be cost efficient the hybrids work the best.. just have to replace often.