Layer feed and breeding/roosters

[Chicksnmind]

I’m still learning too . I bought my first chicks in February and had my first hatch in November.

I might just have a weird Rooster. I haven’t seen anyone else post about roosters eating the oyster shell. I’m going to try to add my chicks to the flock and if that works I’m going to try oyster shell again and switch to chick starter. I’m hoping he won’t kill himself as I’m rather fond of the ugly dude.

 

[ChocolateMouse]

Yes, it will matter, but only if you plan on keeping your breeding rooster around for more than a few years. After that it's built up enough that it messes with organs, primarily the kidneys as mentioned above.
But most breeding roosters are not kept around for more than a few years anyhow because fertility starts to fall off at that point anyhow. So for a real breeding program with breeding goals where you replace your rooster regularly you probably won't notice a difference. I had extremely high fertility from a rooster fed nothing but layer feed their whole lives, even at 4.5yrs old, so it's really imperceptible unless you've got your rooster longer than that. For just a rooster on a family farm that you want to sometimes hatch chicks from, it's probably best to separate the calcium.

 

[Kris5902]

Yes, it will matter, but only if you plan on keeping your breeding rooster around for more than a few years. After that it's built up enough that it messes with organs, primarily the kidneys as mentioned above.
But most breeding roosters are not kept around for more than a few years anyhow because fertility starts to fall off at that point anyhow. So for a real breeding program with breeding goals where you replace your rooster regularly you probably won't notice a difference. I had extremely high fertility from a rooster fed nothing but layer feed their whole lives, even at 4.5yrs old, so it's really imperceptible unless you've got your rooster longer than that. For just a rooster on a family farm that you want to sometimes hatch chicks from, it's probably best to separate the calcium.

I’m not sure how intensive my breeding is going to get... I want my flocks to be self-sustainable, and I know that there are other people on our island who are interested in buying layers from me once I get producing my own chicks. I want to have pretty eggs for sale and eating, and I will be wanting to free range to some degree once I have enough chickens that an areial predator attack won’t present the possibility of wiping out my whole breeding program.

 

[Athena2344]

If they aren't laying yet, why are you feeding layer now? With my teens until the first egg is laid they will be on grower feed

 

[ChocolateMouse]

I’m not sure how intensive my breeding is going to get... I want my flocks to be self-sustainable, and I know that there are other people on our island who are interested in buying layers from me once I get producing my own chicks. I want to have pretty eggs for sale and eating, and I will be wanting to free range to some degree once I have enough chickens that an areial predator attack won’t present the possibility of wiping out my whole breeding program.

Well that sounds like something you might want to decide on before you decide to feed all layer. In the meantime, feed calcium separate because it's easier/healthier to switch to all layer later than it is to switch to separate feeds later.

 

[Shamo Hybrid]

A lot of folks just get layer feed and use them for all their chickens and have no problem..... I am one of them. But now since I have baby chicks, it's 'Starter Feed' for all! When they get older it will probably be 'All Flock' feed for everyone until I plan to breed then I will switch them all to 'Layer' feed! My chickens aren't egglayers so I only plan to give them layer feed when I really want to have eggs to incubate.

 

[Shadrach]

A lot of folks just get layer feed and use them for all their chickens and have no problem..... I am one of them. But now since I have baby chicks, it's 'Starter Feed' for all! When they get older it will probably be 'All Flock' feed for everyone until I plan to breed then I will switch them all to 'Layer' feed! My chickens aren't egglayers so I only plan to give them layer feed when I really want to have eggs to incubate.

With roosters in particular, you don’t know you’ve got a problem until it’s too late. The calcium build up is accumulative and once it is there you can’t do much about it. In short it shortens the lives of roosters in particular by up to a third relative to a hen.
The same applies to older hens.
So saying people don’t have any problems feed layer feed doesn’t really mean much unless a) a necropsy is done at death, and b) the fowl live long enough for the effects to become critical.

 

[Kris5902]

If they aren't laying yet, why are you feeding layer now? With my teens until the first egg is laid they will be on grower feed

I’m not feeding the layer to my chickens yet, as they aren’t old enough. I’m asking the question now because I want to do my research and be well informed for when I’m switching them over. Because I’m looking at a breeding program and keeping my Roo’s, I was concerned about the potential damage to them the calcium levels in layer feed might do. We do have some older hens here on layer feed though. 46 chickens, 4 separate age groups, 26 are heritage and totally mine. 13 2week olds & 13 8week olds (mine); 9 1ish year old red sex links, 11 5+ year old red sex links which “belong” to the farm.

 

[Kris5902]

Well that sounds like something you might want to decide on before you decide to feed all layer. In the meantime, feed calcium separate because it's easier/healthier to switch to all layer later than it is to switch to separate feeds later.

With roosters in particular, you don’t know you’ve got a problem until it’s too late. The calcium build up is accumulative and once it is there you can’t do much about it. In short it shortens the lives of roosters in particular by up to a third relative to a hen.
The same applies to older hens.
So saying people don’t have any problems feed layer feed doesn’t really mean much unless a) a necropsy is done at death, and b) the fowl live long enough for the effects to become critical.

@ChickenCanoe
What do you think of mixing layer and starter to reduce the calcium levels for the Roo’s, I worry that keeping everyone on the 22% unmediated starter would be maybe potentially unhealthy as well?

 

[Athena2344]

Or just offer both in seperated feeders along with the oyster shell