)For chicks 0-8 week, for pullets 8-16 weeks and third is for laying hens. Right now i´m laughing, because i just notice that roosters have to eat also food for laying chickens. This is not the point!
I heard (not a rumor) that if chickens eat pullets food after 16weeks and so on, they skip the moulting. Of course they get eggshells, lime, austershells, they must built an egg, it´s sure.
The difference in ALL those feeds is basically the protein and calcium content.
*Usually* chicks is about 22% protein and a little over 1% calcium. The pullet grower you mention is usually around 18-20% protein and under 2% calcium. The layer is usually 16% protein and 4-5% calcium.
No chicken will skip molting regardless of what you feed (with rare exception). They will do it as SOME point. Feeding higher protein during molt CAN help the birds recover faster because feathers are made from 90% protein and its' amino acids. So they have more of the building blocks to get on with it. It takes a LOT of energy to regrow feathers and that's why hens don't lay during that time.
Laying is light triggered. You MIGHT be able to trick a bird into not molting by controlling the light. The longer they go without molting the harder it is to off the weather elements. And in the past few years I have discovered that molting is ONE way birds in the wild control parasites.
My roosters don't eat Layer... too much calcium (more than 3%) fed long term to birds NOT in lay, like molting, brooding, juveniles and roosters... *can* (
DOESN'T mean will) cause gout and kidney failure. It is usually in birds with some genetic predisposition and/or fed excessive treats at the SAME time.
So here in the US, we have one called flock raiser with 20% protein and 1% calcium. I feed this to all my birds from hatch through finish. providing oyster shell on the side free choice for the layers. Sure chicks and roosters sample it but they don't load up.
Depending on what type of breeds you have they actually have slightly varying needs. 16% protein in layer is the MINIMUM to support light bodies layers like leghorn. While heavier dual purpose breeds like Rock, Marans, Wyandotte, Reds will do best with not less than 18% protein.
So my assessment... no birds won't skip molting by eating pullet food... but they will recover from molt faster when they have it instead of layer. They will already have some nutritional reserve built from not eating the MINIMUM amount in layer everyday.
Hope this answers your question without making your head spin.
