Looking to change layer feeds - Opinions needs

[U_Stormcrow]

I don't play favorites. The best feed for you is one that is consistently fresh, readily available, with an acceptable nutritional profile, at a price you are willing to pay.

If you should happen to have two at similar price point which meet the fresh & available tests, we are happy to help you compare labels. If you have some that are $1-2 / 50# apart and you are wondering if one is nutritionally that much more valuable than the other? again, happy to help compare labels.

 

[MichaelDJ]

Mixed whole grain feeds are a problem. because birds will select the yummy stuff and leave other parts of the blend, as you've seen. They aren't getting a balance diet, very bad for them.
Either a crumble or pellets are fine, better to look at the nutritional profile and the mill date on each bag of feed, so you aren't buying old stuff. I like to feed within two or three months of the mill date, because some vitamins deteriorate over time.
Here we feed Purina Flock Raiser, 20% protein, and fresh where we shop, with oyster shell and grit in separate containers so birds can eat what they need of each.
Layer feed, with it's high calcium, is meant for birds actively laying eggs, and nobody else. Molting, winter slowdown, males, birds old and young, shouldn't have layer feed. And the 16% protein in minimal, designed for feeding leghorn type hens actively laying eggs and eating nothing else.
Mary

I feed fermented, mixed whole grains in the morning. By the end of the day they eat everything.

 

[goosiegosieduckduck]

Hello all,
I have 7 New Hampshire reds just under 2 years old. I have primarily used Dumor 16g layer crumble this whole time and it has seemingly been fine. Egg production seems to have slowed down dramatically in the last few months, more so now that the cooler weather is coming in. I mostly keep them in the coop and when time permits, I let them roam free in the backyard for a few hours. Unfortunately I don't let them out nearly as much as I used to. I don't know if that routine affects their attitude and the way they eat because sometimes they sound aggravated when I go to clean their water and I don't let them out. Back to the feed question, I wanted to experiment with different feeds and found several that looked good and all of them looked similar with some slight difference. I wanted to see which one is the better choice.

Nutrena NatureWise Harvest Blend Egg Layer Textured Feed
Nutrena NatureWise All Flock Pelleted Poultry Feed
Nutrena NatureWise 22% Protein Silkie & Ornamental Layer Poultry Feed
Nutrena NatureWise Meatbird Crumbled Chicken Feed

I like that these all have a higher amount of protein with almost the same amount of calcium than the Dumor feed. I only included the "meatbird" variety due to reviews. Many people seem to use it for their layers as well and have good results, although the calcium is on the lower end. My only concern with the pelleted feeds is that I tried the pelleted version of the Dumor feed a while back and they did not seem to care for it too much. Unfortunately I can't seem to find the "all flock" or "feather fixer" feed in the crumble form from TSC, so I was leaning more towards the silkie feed but I wanted to get all of your opinions before making any purchases.
Thanks

It may seem like they don't like it but pellets are more dence then crumble so your hens don't need to eat alot. When I switch I felt the same way, I also learnd to feel there crops at night this helps me know when they ate eating, an almost empty crop usually means they are starting there moult. Chickens are like walking garbage disposals so don't worry about the appearance of there feed but the ingredients. Also I would put out some oyster shell and grit so if there lacking they can nibble, I also give mine grubby worms those boost the protein and calcium.