is my feed ration okay for my young pullets?????????

[Taylor]

I have 14 wk old pullets that i have been mixing about 20 lbs of scratch grains which is 8% protein. to a 50 lb bag of grower feed and this is 19% protein. is this a good mix for them? they are really active and growing just fine, i just wonder if it will hurt their egg production because i have heard corn will hurt young pullets. i have been feeding them this since they were like 9 wks old. at 14 wks old now they are almost as big as my current layers of ISA-Browns and others. they are rhode island reds and barred rocks and buff orpingtons.

and my neighbor above us fed his pullets just scratch grains, no chick starter/grower and his grew up real pretty and big and his lay eggs. is scratch really a no-no for pullets?

 

[Fred's Hens]

Your feed ration averages at 16.5% protein, which is just fine. The typical grower is no higher. Frankly, your feed program is just fine and I see no need to criticize it if it is working for you. I cannot imagine it effecting laying output down the road. To answer a few of your concerns, pure scratch is incomplete, so your neighbor didn't do his pullets any favors, imho, but survive? A chicken can indeed survive. They're tough. Thrive? That's a different matter.

If you put out shells for your pullets at 18 weeks, you'd not really have to change a thing, ration wise, unless you prefer to feed a prepared layer mash or pellet.

 

[Taylor]

i asked him once if he fed his chick grower and he said no. he just goes out once a day and throws a couple of scoops of scratch out to them and thats it his grew up pretty and they layed eggs w/o layer feed too! i was surprised but he didn't get as much as me because i feed my layers layer pellets 16% and they lay excellent for me, my pullets are gowing really big and they are very active!!!! they run and go crazy to greet me everythime i go in to feed them. i hope it doesn't hurt my hen's egg production

 

[Speceider]

My biggest concern would be the amino acid composition of the diet. I seriously doubt it's balanced. The scratch is lowering the ME of the diet, and certain amino acids and vitamens. It'll probably work, but they will not perform as well as they can on a complete diet.

Clint