Just thought I'd share.....I see alot of ?'s on this subject here.

[catdaddyfro]

Well, I was digging around in some of my older posts today looking for answers to ques. that I asked many moons ago and I ran across this old thread I started a couple years back right around the annual molt time. Guess what, it's here again or just around the corner for some too. So, I figured I'd post it up here in case some of the newer members that might not have got to read it may do so.

If you have any questions ask away and if I can't answer them, then maybe someone else that knows will, OK.

Jeff

 

[Sonic Pug]

Thank you very much! My chicks are too young to lay but I see this as a very good resource for when they do. One question though. Since chick starter is higher in protein than layer feed, why wouldn't you just keep feeding layers that feed and add a calcium supplement?

 

[catdaddyfro]

Quote:
You are quite welcome there Sonic Pug (cool call name by the way)

My answer to your ? on feeding the chick grower is, for one, it cost roughly 25% to 33% more than layer feed and also Layers only require around a min. of 16% protein in there diet to lay eggs. Additional calcium supplements is just another added cost to go along with the higher protein(=higher price, always)feed. Also there is a significant difference in the vitamins and minerals between the grower and layer feeds.

Too much of a good thing can have adverse effects in most any situation and chicken feed is one of those situations. Too much protein in the diet can be just as harmful as having too much calcium in chick grower. Chickens have a very delicate excretory system remember bodily waste(toxins) go directly though the kidneys as chickens do not have sweat glands in their skin for any toxins to escape from either so having to remove the extra proteins not used by the body is hard on the kidneys and such.

Hope I did shed a little light on the ques. at hand, and if I confused you much with that just holler back there's always more where that came from.

Jeff

 

[Sonic Pug]

Makes good sense. Thanks for the thorough answers! It really does help when navigating through the chicken world!

 

[catdaddyfro]

Quote:
Alrighty then, yeah I try to be as thorough as my little brain cell will let me. I know how it is trying to learn new stuff and to try keep it all together esp. in the chicken world.

Jeff


Feel free to contact me if need be with any other ?'s I'll do my best to answer them or refer you to a source for information.

 

[gmachicken]

Thanks for revising the thread as I'm a relative newbie. The higher protein sounds reasonable and will check in to my feed tomorrow. My girls seem to be doing well on what they are getting if one only expects about 1 out of 2 to lay a day.
I have 6 bantams, 3 Buff Orbington's (2 more just beginning to lay), 1 Americana (1 soon to lay), 2 Barred Rocks, (soon to lay 2 Black-sex-links, 1 other something, [brain fade!!]) total of 18 and one roo.
So if I hear you right if It is needed I should get some protein, as stated, and then up it to about 18- 20%. I add some diatamatious earth to their feed and that is helpful in a number of areas.

Again thank you.

 

[galanie]

Thank you for resurrecting this thread. I have been considering mixing game bird feed with my feed for a while and now I'm convinced. Not straight 50-50 but I want the protein in the 18-19 percent range rather than 16 percent.

 

[warmfuzzies]

This is funny to re-read because we just got some chickens from our little cousin who was doing FFA with them. She was moving, so she left them here with us. When I bought them some layer mash, I noticed that the bag was a different color then the one she had been using... I looked and she was feeding them straight scratch grains. Basically corn, wheat, and milo.

These are 5-6 month old pullets, still growing and trying to start laying too, and they are getting basically no protein. She was not feeding them any house scraps (they didn't even know what it was when I started) and they never ranged.

Of course, the neighbor dogs have since killed them but that is another story.

When I was hatching chicks I went from layer mash to 20% game bird feed and my hatch rate almost doubled.

 

[TwoCrows]

This is very interesting stuff here. I had my suspicions about the higher the protein level the more eggs they will lay. My girls started laying only a short while ago and I then had them on a 16% layer feed. But while doing the converting to layer feed, I had bought some Hy-pro layer feed which is 20% protein. So now I have been mixing the 20% in with the 16% protein feed and I will tell you, these girls lay EVERY day. Every one of them. I was thinking about lowering the protein to give these girls a break!! LOL But yes, the higher the protein level, the more eggs you are going to get.

 

[LegginMF12]

I am feeding my hens straight Lay Pellets, available 27/7. They also get all of the kitchen scraps. I rinse all left overs to remove extra salt and seasonings. I was getting an egg here and an egg there until I got rid of my extra roosters. My hen rooster ratio was 1/1. I now have 1 rooster and 5 hens and I am getting 3 -4 eggs a day. I am pretty sure one of my hens has not started laying yet as I have never seen her in the boxes. I am also pretty sure my pit, Cletus, is stealing the occasional egg as they used to be given as treats when he was younger. (In fact I know he steals them as I marked 2 eggs to leave in the nesting box as an enticement to keep the hens using them and 2 hrs later they were gone! LOL!) I put a couple of handfuls of scratch out each day just to give them something to play with. I am going to start cooking the eggshells and mixing them with the left overs as an added source of calcium. I feel that if you are giving a wide variety of foods, your hens are laying and not getting fat, there is no need to micromanage feeding ratios. Your chickens egg production and behaviors will let you know if they need something extra.