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I use crumbles and have no waste. I think it depends on the feeder, and how you handle it. Our feeder is hung at chest height for the hens, and there isn't anything getting spilled out of it. I'm going to stick with what they're used to, so far it's worked well for me.
Same here...I have found in the past that if you try to change from crumbles to pellets at this age it is usually refused...especially by free range hens who will choose to forage more for what they want than to eat that stuff they don't want. By offering them the food they like I find they stay closer to home...choosing to eat the easy food and forage for treats...I loose fewer hens to predators that way.
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Is it? I'd turn the question around and ask, "why is it better to give a hen a higher protein feed?"
Up until recently, the expensive ingredient in chicken feed was the protein component. Just within the last 12-18 months, the cost of corn, oats, etc. have skyrocketed. So, much of what you read in chicken books and articles about feeding is out of date costs wise.
To keep costs low, and because protein was the expensive ingredient, the idea was to feed chickens the minimum protein for healthy laying. If this number is 16%, then why would you ever feed more just to pay more?
Now, I think the feed costs are kind of equivalent. But what does a chicken get out of a higher protein content? I don't think it will do anything for the chicken and might make the chicken's digestive system do more to expel the extra nitrogen. But I'm no doctor of chicken digestion
My next question is when you are reading about raising chicks what I have read tells me to feed starter\\grower and nothing else because it is a complete food. When you switch to laying mash you need to offer oyster shell along with it.
Since the 50 pound bag of 20% grower (the complete food) is $15.19 and the 50 pound bag of 16% laying mash (not a complete food) is $13.29 plus the 5 pound bag of oyster shell at $6.29
.what it comes down to is which food is better for the chickens since the cost is virtually the same?
As I said before the eggs they are laying have very strong shells so they must be getting enough calcium in the food they are getting now (plus the forage)
.unless the need for calcium will gradually go up as they begin to produce more eggs.
In the past I have kept mostly Production Reds which as you know start laying earlier and lay very large eggs for the size of the chicken. It was a struggle to keep enough calcium in their diet to keep the shells from being thin but I think thats a general problem for the breed.
This time I decided to go with Ameraucanas, Australorps, New Hampshire Reds, and Buff Brahams so I dont think this is going to be as much of a problem.
