lower protein in the summer????

[best-nestin']

Hi all!
I went to my local IFA store today, and they told me I needed the lower protein feed for the summer, because of the heat. I have been feeding them the higher protein through the winter, and have been getting 6 eggs a day from my 6 chickens!!!!! Will the lower protein cause them to reduce laying?? Do I really need to reduce the protein content????

 

[colby318]

What protein content is your "winter" feed? My TSC has just one type of layer crumbles. Do you feed corn scratch also? In the summer, my girls pass over the corn in favor of the other seeds available while free ranging. Extra protein is good for forming feathers during molt and promoting body heat. Perhaps that is your feed store's concern.

Colby in KY

 

[Glenda L Heywood]

the ideal protein level is 16% the yr around
th corn should be stopped
I always fed sa feeder of whole oats with granite grit
as well as a feeder if crumbles 16% protein
the hens lay well on iot

besure and mix the two kinds of crumbles when changing feeds
it will cause the hens to quit slightly for a few days
but if you mix the two half and half till the old is gone it will not make as much difference in their laying
the less protein should mean less money for the feed

get them on one feed and leave them

 

[WoodlandWoman]

They need more protein when they're molting, to produce new feathers.

Other than that, it kind of depends on what you're feeding them, besides their regular chicken feed. If they're getting any scratch or a lot of scraps that are mostly carbohydrates without meat, then the higher protein feeds help balance the protein level in the entire diet.

Adding extra foods to the diet that are primarily carbohydrates, reduces the percentage of protein they are getting in their total diet, compared to eating the layer feed alone.