New Eggs! Can you confirm?

[Ambersquared]

The reason I went with a 20% protein feed is because I like to give them some treats, and I didn't want to dilute the protein percentage too much.

I mean, how can you NOT want to give them treats, right?

But, and it's a big but, treats should not be more than 10% of what they eat. So their usual treat is their feed, wetted to make a mash, about the consistency of thick oatmeal. It's also their favorite treat, too. It's your regular food, silly birds!

Another good thing about doing this: I can save the powdery bits that they don't eat in the bottom of their feed bowls for this purpose. I have VERY little feed waste.

It can also be "dressed up" with some greens or other kitchen/garden scraps. Or made with warm water in the winter, or cold water in the summer.

Oh my gosh! I love this! Hahaha
They do leave so much powdery bits all the time and I hadn’t thought of a good use until now! Thank you so much!

I will take all this advice and invest in some higher protein feed. At the end of the day I want this gals to be happy and healthy!

And I am so guilty of wanting to give them treats every day. They see me come out and the squawking begins lol

 

[Ambersquared]

I feed Purina Flockraiser 20% protein and have been very happy with it, but there are other options out there, depending on where you live and what your local feed stores carry.

Oooo I will definitely look into that! I think my local feed carries this! Thanks so much

 

[Chipmunk Chicks]

2x Our birds are also on a 20% All Flock at this point, due to the ducks. Even though they weren't being housed together, it was just simpler to buy one kind, and now that they Are together, I'm glad we had already made the transition. Ours is called Nature something, available at Tractor Supply, purple and green bag, with a picture of a turkey on the front. (I thought I had a screen shot but I must have deleted it.)

We give them treats, but a lot of the time those treats are mealworms or scrambled eggs, so not all treats have to be low in protein, either! J/s lol

 

[Ambersquared]

2x Our birds are also on a 20% All Flock at this point, due to the ducks. Even though they weren't being housed together, it was just simpler to buy one kind, and now that they Are together, I'm glad we had already made the transition. Ours is called Nature something, available at Tractor Supply, purple and green bag, with a picture of a turkey on the front. (I thought I had a screen shot but I must have deleted it.)

We give them treats, but a lot of the time those treats are mealworms or scrambled eggs, so not all treats have to be low in protein, either! J/s lol

Thank you! That’s a good point! Treats I give are usually mealworms with the occasional fruit

I think I’ve seen that feed you’re talking about though! Thank you!

 

[Sally PB]

We give them treats, but a lot of the time those treats are mealworms or scrambled eggs, so not all treats have to be low in protein,

This is true, but:
(from the internet)
"The live mealworm is made out of 20% protein, 13% fat, 2% fiber, and 62% moisture, while the dried mealworm is made out of 53% protein, 28% fat, 6% fiber, and 5% moisture."

Lots of protein, but lots of fat too. Same with BOSS (black oil sunflower seed). That's why I give mine their mash, and any other snack is like sprinkles on a cupcake. Just a few.

And sometimes I give them nutritionally worthless treats, too, because, well, treats, chickens, ya know? They go absolutely bonkers for bread. That is a totally a treat, like candy. But watch a chicken grab a bite of bread and run with it... Like they caught the pass are taking it to the house. It's entertainment for me and for them.

 

[Chipmunk Chicks]

This is true, but:
(from the internet)
"The live mealworm is made out of 20% protein, 13% fat, 2% fiber, and 62% moisture, while the dried mealworm is made out of 53% protein, 28% fat, 6% fiber, and 5% moisture."

Lots of protein, but lots of fat too. Same with BOSS (black oil sunflower seed). That's why I give mine their mash, and any other snack is like sprinkles on a cupcake. Just a few.

And sometimes I give them nutritionally worthless treats, too, because, well, treats, chickens, ya know? They go absolutely bonkers for bread. That is a totally a treat, like candy. But watch a chicken grab a bite of bread and run with it... Like they caught the pass are taking it to the house. It's entertainment for me and for them.

I have no problem whatsoever with giving my chickens extra fat in their diet, especially in the colder months. I personally think fat has been demonized in human diets over the years, and I don't really think it's fair to try to extend that type of thinking about nutrition to animals. Not that I'm an expert or anything.

 

[Sally PB]

I have no problem whatsoever with giving my chickens extra fat in their diet, especially in the colder months. I personally think fat has been demonized in human diets over the years, and I don't really think it's fair to try to extend that type of thinking about nutrition to animals. Not that I'm an expert or anything.

Oh, sure, I agree. This time of year, especially. I give my chickens some high fat treats, just in small doses. I try to stick to the 10% or less guideline.

 

[Ridgerunner]

The real downside is: Its protein percentage. It's 16% (or thereabouts), which is why it's cheaper. That is the lowest percentage that commercial egg producers have found keeps the chickens producing eggs. If they could make it even lower, they would. A couple of pennies saved adds up to massive profits at their scale.

There is actually another reason they use the 16% feed. The hens they use are the specially bred hybrids, bred to produce Grade A Large eggs and have a small body so they can use more of what they eat to produce eggs instead of needing more of the feed for body maintenance. Since they are highly tuned egg laying machines they are more susceptible to medical problems like prolapse, egg bound, and internal laying to start with. If they feed a higher percent protein they would be dealing with more medical problems and dead chickens because the eggs would be even larger for their small bodies. There is no doubt they are looking at reducing costs just like any other business but dead chickens are not producing eggs and require extra handling. Their chickens are healthier on the 16% protein than they would be on a higher protein feed.

The reason I went with a 20% protein feed is because I like to give them some treats, and I didn't want to dilute the protein percentage too much.

A good point. It's not about what is in one bite but how many total grams of protein they eat in a day, and even that is averaged over a few days. If your chickens forage for some of their food or you feed them many low protein treats their average protein intake may be below the 20% protein.

The same thing is true for calcium. That's why offering calcium like oyster shell on the side can be a good thing. If all laying hens eat is Layer they should get enough calcium for egg shells from that, but if they eat some low-calcium treats or forage they may need extra calcium. The non-layers need a certain amount of calcium too for body maintenance. If all they eat is the low calcium feed, that 1% calcium should be all they need. But if that is cut by forage or treats, they may need a bite or two of oyster shell too.

We do not raise or feed our chickens the same way the commercial operations do. We generally don't have the finely tuned egg laying machines they use. Our chickens can generally handle higher amounts of protein without it injuring them.

It can take a few weeks for the hens to work out the kinks to get strong and large eyes

Yes, it can. Putting the egg together and getting it laid is a pretty complicate event. It can take a while to get it all correct. The amazing thing to me is that so many get it right to start with.

The reason a young pullet usually lays smaller eggs is they start laying before their body is fully mature. The smaller eggs to start with is nature's way to protect their body. The commercial egg laying operations use lights to delay the onset of laying with their pullets because the first eggs laid can be weird and gives their pullets a chance to start laying bigger eggs, all this makes them more profitable.

Layer feed is not yet needed since all hens are not yet laying. Once all hens are laying you can switch to layer feed

Correct.

Oyster shells should be added in a separate tray for the laying gals to supplement as needed, even when switching to layer feed

Yes.

Nesting boxes can have dummy eggs to encourage laying there vs the roosting bar
Is my understanding correct?

Yes. I use golf balls. Using fake eggs does not guarantee that they will lay in the nest but they can help.

Some pullets can tell that they will soon lay their first egg. These may start looking for a safe place to lay a week before that egg shows up. These I like. But some seem to have no clue that an egg is coming. They drop their first egg(s) wherever they happen to be, just walking around or from the roost. There are certain triggers that tell a hen when to start an egg through their internal egg making factory. One of those is light so the egg is finished and ready to lay during daylight. They need a certain amount of dark downtime to help get this right. These are some of the kinks that some need a bit of time to work out.

Next to try and figure out who laid them.

If you look at the vent, a pullet laying an egg or getting real close to laying will have a large, pink, soft, moist vent. A pullet not laying will have a small tight dry vent. When you see the difference it is obvious.

 

[Chipmunk Chicks]

When you see the difference it is obvious.
Yes. Now, I was trying to figure out with my ducks, and I felt like it was way less obvious.

There's one that maybe seems to have a slight yellowing discoloration of her otherwise-white feathers down there, possibly broken feathers I saw when checking previous time, but it was practically impossible for me to even get through the down enough to see. Chickens I feel are way easier to tell.

(Not sure why my little quote thingie didn't go. )

 

[Ambersquared]

There is actually another reason they use the 16% feed. The hens they use are the specially bred hybrids, bred to produce Grade A Large eggs and have a small body so they can use more of what they eat to produce eggs instead of needing more of the feed for body maintenance. Since they are highly tuned egg laying machines they are more susceptible to medical problems like prolapse, egg bound, and internal laying to start with. If they feed a higher percent protein they would be dealing with more medical problems and dead chickens because the eggs would be even larger for their small bodies. There is no doubt they are looking at reducing costs just like any other business but dead chickens are not producing eggs and require extra handling. Their chickens are healthier on the 16% protein than they would be on a higher protein feed.


A good point. It's not about what is in one bite but how many total grams of protein they eat in a day, and even that is averaged over a few days. If your chickens forage for some of their food or you feed them many low protein treats their average protein intake may be below the 20% protein.

The same thing is true for calcium. That's why offering calcium like oyster shell on the side can be a good thing. If all laying hens eat is Layer they should get enough calcium for egg shells from that, but if they eat some low-calcium treats or forage they may need extra calcium. The non-layers need a certain amount of calcium too for body maintenance. If all they eat is the low calcium feed, that 1% calcium should be all they need. But if that is cut by forage or treats, they may need a bite or two of oyster shell too.

We do not raise or feed our chickens the same way the commercial operations do. We generally don't have the finely tuned egg laying machines they use. Our chickens can generally handle higher amounts of protein without it injuring them.


Yes, it can. Putting the egg together and getting it laid is a pretty complicate event. It can take a while to get it all correct. The amazing thing to me is that so many get it right to start with.

The reason a young pullet usually lays smaller eggs is they start laying before their body is fully mature. The smaller eggs to start with is nature's way to protect their body. The commercial egg laying operations use lights to delay the onset of laying with their pullets because the first eggs laid can be weird and gives their pullets a chance to start laying bigger eggs, all this makes them more profitable.


Correct.


Yes.


Yes. I use golf balls. Using fake eggs does not guarantee that they will lay in the nest but they can help.

Some pullets can tell that they will soon lay their first egg. These may start looking for a safe place to lay a week before that egg shows up. These I like. But some seem to have no clue that an egg is coming. They drop their first egg(s) wherever they happen to be, just walking around or from the roost. There are certain triggers that tell a hen when to start an egg through their internal egg making factory. One of those is light so the egg is finished and ready to lay during daylight. They need a certain amount of dark downtime to help get this right. These are some of the kinks that some need a bit of time to work out.


If you look at the vent, a pullet laying an egg or getting real close to laying will have a large, pink, soft, moist vent. A pullet not laying will have a small tight dry vent. When you see the difference it is obvious.

Thank you for taking the time to write this amazing and detailed message. I really appreciate it deeply!

I was talking to a friend about this. Imagine laying something almost every single day and the amount of work and energy that takes?! I made sure to give the gals some treats today to celebrate the event and also give them a little extra something haha

I will definitely be checking vents later today to see if I can figure out who it was. I tried earlier but they were not super cooperative and their floofy butts were making it so hard to see haha