Layer feed and breeding/roosters

[ChickenCanoe]

It will always be somewhere between the min. and max., not just the min..
That's the easiest way to formulate feed.
These are guaranteed analysis, not guaranteed to be the min.

 

[Melky]

I agree this question may come again with a laying senior hen when she no longer lays but businesses typically do not have birds this old as already sold. A farmers private stock might have older hens for breeding not laying as laying falls off. Companies more and more are finding other options including feeds for senior hens to meet the various nutritional needs of the chickens life stage. Businesses that are in business to sell keep the flock young to avoid health and other age related issues.

 

[aart]

I've have always fed 20% flock raiser with OS on the side.
Works for all ages and genders.
It's just simpler, doesn't overload calcium in non-layers, and allows some daily scratch without too much protein dilution.

 

[aart]

I’m feeding layer feed because if I feed oyster shell my rooster eats it like crazy. He thinks it’s a awesome treat .

Wonder if he needs granite grit?

 

[Kris5902]

I agree this question may come again with a laying senior hen when she no longer lays but businesses typically do not have birds this old as already sold. A farmers private stock might have older hens for breeding not laying as laying falls off. Companies more and more are finding other options including feeds for senior hens to meet the various nutritional needs of the chickens life stage. Businesses that are in business to sell keep the flock young to avoid health and other age related issues.

You’re correct in that most chicken businesses keep their flocks young. I am on a family farm, I’m looking to be larger than the average hobbyist, but am in no way trying to get into the big “business” end of the poultry market.

It’s a supplemental income with the existing flocks for egg sales. I will be adding meat birds, hopefully this spring, as the farms primary business is meat and I’m going to capitalize on the existing beef/lamb clientele. My breeding/laying enterprise will be small scale and based on quality, sustainability, and improving our egg variety. I’m interested in the long term health and longevity of my flock over just productivity.

So far our birds tend to die of old age, or perhaps excessive calcium in the layer feed once they slow/stop laying, we don’t have necropsies done on them to find out which, as they are over 5 years when they do go. Maybe once we get meat birds going we will start culling our older layers, then again, maybe we won’t... we will see when I get to that point which way things go.

 

[Melky]

Sounds like a good plan. I think you are thinking in the right direction. I wouldn’t label cause of deaths if do not know. Chickens usually live an average of eight years some longer some shorter so your not too unusual a circumstance. Future necropsy upon death would illuminate causes and then adjust management accordingly.

 

[Kris5902]

Yes, honestly no one has been keeping a close eye on the existing chickens here, they think the youngest of the older hens are about 5, maybe older... during summer we were getting about 4-5 eggs a day from 13 chickens, two have died overnight with no clearly visible causes since then, both older looking hens with the worse cases of scaly leg mites.

One had a heavy lice infestation happen between leg treatments... I went to give her their bi-weekly maintenance pedicure (vaseline and mineral oil leg rub down for the scaly leg mites) and suddenly these nasty little red things were crawling all over my arms! I checked her and her skin was covered, her combs pale and she was very listless. she got a solid bath and blow dry then the next day everyone was given a dusting with a pesticide powder. She died about a week later.

They are all on layer pellets mixed with whole wheat, with free choice oyster shell as of about 1 year ago. It may not make sense to many on this site... (I love the chickens!) but most of the people on the farm think they are disgusting creatures and want nothing to do with them, except to eat their eggs. What I find disgusting is the way they are being housed... any animal kept with poor husbandry is going to get gross! I am working on fixing that though (with the chickens that aren’t mine, as well as setting mine up well)

 

[ChickenCanoe]

Don’t get me wrong not saying there could not be some concern regarding calcium but broilers are not put usually on layer feed ....

The research refers to male broiler breeders - not broilers.
Broiler breeders are the grandparent stock of white rocks and white Cornish that produce the parent stock which in turn produce the eggs hatching out the broilers. Mature broiler breeders eat layer feed.

 

[Kris5902]

Seeing as this thread has been giving me a few new notifications I figure I might update a little. I did a batch of Red Ranger Broiler Chickens this last Summer and they ended up getting huge fast on 19% Broiler feed. I relocated the chickens from the farm and they have improved body condition on a 50/50 mix of the Broiler and 17% layer.

I’ve switched feed lines (it’s about an extra hour in town to pick it up, but worth it for less dusty feed and not having to special order and pay extra for non-layer pellets) this line carries a 16% vegetarian layer, and 18% layer at 4% calcium which is what I’ve switched to. So far my boys are showing no ill effects, but they definitely preferred the higher protein Broiler feeds. Of course now we are getting into molting, and I’m looking to supplement those girls a bit more, especially the ones in hard molts. Perhaps my favorite thing about this other line of feeds is the actually stock a 17% grower pellet, so I’ve switched to that for my non laying hens.

 

[ChickenCanoe]

But are your broilers to be processed soon?