layena feed

[chickenmama109]

hi
i have a flock of 12
11 hens and 1 rooster
8 hens are laying they are 5 to 6 months old

i was getting there laying feed at tsc and seen layena feed and did not know what its for
and can my chickens have it can my rooster have it

thanks to all help

 

[lazy gardener]

Layena is a brand name of chicken feed. For layers, you want a minimum of 16% protein. If it is a layer feed, it should have enough calcium to meet the layer's needs.

If it is not a layer feed, you still should look for 16 - 20% protein, and will need to supply extra calcium in the form of oyster shell.

Many folks keep their adult birds, roosters included on layer feed, while others choose to keep their birds on an unmedicated starter or a multi-flock, in which case they will offer oyster shell in a separate feeder. Your choice. You will hear that layer feed is not good for roosters, but... those statements are based on studies that were done with broilers, which are prone to all sorts of systemic problems. Those studies are not representative of a back yard flock.

 

[chickenmama109]

i cant find all flock what else can i use

 

[GreatBreeder]

hi
i have a flock of 12
11 hens and 1 rooster
8 hens are laying they are 5 to 6 months old

i was getting there laying feed at tsc and seen layena feed and did not know what its for
and can my chickens have it can my rooster have it

thanks to all help

You should probably stick to multi-flock feed.

but... those statements are based on studies that were done with broilers, which are prone to all sorts of systemic problems. Those studies are not representative of a back yard flock.

Although broilers are known to have issues due to conventional raising methods, calcium buildup and problems in Broilers is not exclusive to them.

 

[GreatBreeder]

i cant find all flock what else can i use

Here are some mixed flock feeds

Nutrena All Flock
https://north40.com/nutrena-nature-...MI4eagt6fA1QIVk4JpCh0LQw4fEAQYAiABEgIZIvD_BwE

Purina Flock Block
https://www.tractorsupply.com/tsc/p...MI4eagt6fA1QIVk4JpCh0LQw4fEAQYASABEgJn2_D_BwE

Manna Pro All Flock
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01N4KD9M...t=&hvlocphy=9026906&hvtargid=pla-307267111380

 

[lazy gardener]

This article is worthy of perusal when discussing how much protein to give your birds: More is not necessarily better, and also addresses the Calcium issue. I went looking for a STUDY linking excess dietary calcium to renal failure in poultry, and as such, have found no such study. If any one can find one, I'd love to see it posted.

http://www.poultrydvm.com/condition/gout

 

[GreatBreeder]

Protein is very important. But this also proves that calcium is bad, saying excess calcium in roosters causes gout, and layer feeds have high calcium for layers, to thus will cause gout in roosters.

 

[lazy gardener]

This article is worthy of perusal when discussing how much protein to give your birds: More is not necessarily better, and also addresses the Calcium issue. I went looking for a STUDY linking excess dietary calcium to renal failure in poultry, and as such, have found no such study. If any one can find one, I'd love to see it posted.

http://www.poultrydvm.com/condition/gout

And an excerpt from this article: http://www.2ndchance.info/gout.htm
This article is about gout in parrots, but I have pulled material from this article which seemed pertinent to chickens. The entire article is a good read, especially if you do a comparison between the birds being discussed in this article and what you are seeing in your flock: Look at the quality of your bird's plumage, the scales on their feet, how well they move, any joint issues? Are they feather picking? Are they getting enough fiber in their diets?
This supports the issue of excess calcium, but also points to excess protein being part of the equation.


"Poultry are not hookbills, but because of their economic importance, they have been studied more than any other species of bird. We know that in chickens, turkeys and pigeons, blood uric acid levels increase as the concentration of protein in their diets increase (ref) and that diets too high in combined protein and calcium produce gout in poultry ."

"In many situations, over supplementation with calcium goes hand in hand with over supplementation of vitamin D and excessively high protein in increasing the risk of gout in birds . We can thank farm chickens for excessively high calcium levels in many pelleted and fortified pet bird foods and supplements. Chickens do need a lot of calcium for super-fast broiler growth and to supply calcium for continuous egg production (1-2.5%). But any lucky mature chickens that are idly passing the time only needs considerably less of their dry-weight food to be calcium to maintain their bone strength."


This article points to Vitamin A deficiency, exposure to insecticides, mold toxins, excess Calcium and Vitamin D as being an issue (as well as excess protein)

____________________________________________________________

Based on this article, I can agree that excess calcium would be problematic. But, the calcium is not the end of the story. Protein plays a huge role, and vitamins also play a huge role, either being helpful or detrimental based on amount and which vitamin we are talking about. Above article states that 1 - 2.5% Ca++ is sufficient for long term maintenance of a layer hen. A recent nutritional analysis of Blue Seal feeds states that their layer is 3.3 - 4.3% Ca++. Their starter feed is 1.2% Ca++.

So... I am prepared to eat a nice big serving of humble pie. Would you all please serve it up to me with some whipped cream. I have it on authority, that a single serving of whipped cream is 0% Ca++, most likely b/c of all of the air incorporated into it.

 

[GreatBreeder]

And an excerpt from this article: http://www.2ndchance.info/gout.htm
This article is about gout in parrots, but I have pulled material from this article which seemed pertinent to chickens. The entire article is a good read, especially if you do a comparison between the birds being discussed in this article and what you are seeing in your flock: Look at the quality of your bird's plumage, the scales on their feet, how well they move, any joint issues? Are they feather picking? Are they getting enough fiber in their diets?
This supports the issue of excess calcium, but also points to excess protein being part of the equation.


"Poultry are not hookbills, but because of their economic importance, they have been studied more than any other species of bird. We know that in chickens, turkeys and pigeons, blood uric acid levels increase as the concentration of protein in their diets increase (ref) and that diets too high in combined protein and calcium produce gout in poultry .

In many situations, over supplementation with calcium goes hand in hand with over supplementation of vitamin D and excessively high protein in increasing the risk of gout in birds . We can thank farm chickens for excessively high calcium levels in many pelleted and fortified pet bird foods and supplements. Chickens do need a lot of calcium for super-fast broiler growth and to supply calcium for continuous egg production (1-2.5%). But any lucky mature chickens that are idly passing the time only needs considerably less of their dry-weight food to be calcium to maintain their bone strength.


This article points to Vitamin A deficiency, exposure to insecticides, mold toxins, excess Calcium and Vitamin D as being an issue (as well as excess protein)

____________________________________________________________

Based on this article, I can agree that excess calcium would be problematic. But, the calcium is not the end of the story. Protein plays a huge role, and vitamins also play a huge role, either being helpful or detrimental based on amount and which vitamin we are talking about. Above article states that 1 - 2.5% Ca++ is sufficient for long term maintenance of a layer hen. A recent nutritional analysis of Blue Seal feeds states that their layer is 3.3 - 4.3% Ca++. Their starter feed is 1.2% Ca++.

So... I am prepared to eat a nice big serving of humble pie. Would you all please serve it up to me with some whipped cream. I have it on authority, that a single serving of whipped cream is 0% Ca++, most likely b/c of all of the air incorporated into it.

Understood, but calcium is still one factor, which more dramatically affects roosters. But I totally agree that's not all.

 

[GC-Raptor]

hi
i have a flock of 12
11 hens and 1 rooster
8 hens are laying they are 5 to 6 months old

i was getting there laying feed at tsc and seen layena feed and did not know what its for
and can my chickens have it can my rooster have it

thanks to all help

I am currently feeding Purina Layena Plus Omega-3. It's a layers feed. Its averages 4% Calcium, 16% Protein.
Purina Layena is a layers feed. It averages 3.75% Calcium, 16% Protein.
Nutrena Naturewise layers feed averages 3.8% Calcium 16% Protein.
These are good for laying pullets/hens If you limit treats to 10% of daily food.
My previous bag of feed was Nutrena Naturewise Feather Fixer. It averages 3.5% Calcium, 18% Protein. It says on the tag,(Feed as the sole ration during periods of molt to chickens and roosters over 16 weeks of age). It also says on the bag, can be fed YEAR-ROUND. which is what I was doing, because of the 18% Protein.
Some won't feed the above feeds to Cockerels/Roosters, because of the higher Calcium.
If I had cockerels/roosters over 18 weeks, I would feed them layers feed.
If you are gonna spoil your chickens with a lot of treats. Then I would look for a higher Protein feed around 18% to 20%. At TSC in my area the feeds with 18% Protein are Nutrena Naturewise Feather Fixer, and Starter Grower unmedicated for Adult chickens, check label for cotton seed, may cause green yolks, mottled yolks and pink albumin.
Purina Start & Grow 18% Protein, unmedicated for Adult chickens and Purina Flock Raiser 20% Protein.
All the feeds, Except Feather Fixer and the Layers feeds, average around 1% Calcium, and will need supplemental Calcium, for laying hens, such as Oyster Shell.
They also carry Dumor and other brands, as well as Organic feeds, I'm not familiar with, read the labels. GC