Nutrition for Sex Links vs pure breeds?

[WVDan44]

Thanks to everyone for the replies and info. This guy raised red sex links until recently. He changed for some reason that only he knows I guess, or someone he trusted told him something that he didn't get exactly right. Anyway, I believe you all have made perfect sense and have allayed my concerns. Thanks again!

 

[chickyluvr97526]

I switched from years of raising RIR and BR to Red Stars and I find they don't eat quite as much as the other two breeds, forage better and I get eggs on a more consistent basis. I have no idea what that person was talking about??? Very weird.

 

[Happyclucks]

So I know this is an old post but I would like to chime in here....
They don't eat more but they require more crude nutrients dow to the high volume of egg laying.

This is a horrific truth I have come to realize recently as my girls have started to show extreme symptoms of malnutrition although they are not only free range but given high quality food and minerals as needed.

RSL's are super sweet and live VERY short lives due to the greed of having a chicken produce more eggs then it can handle in its life.

I lost 2 birds because the high output has caused a tremendous calcium deficiency and have found ample information on the web telling me I have to increase their protein and calcium intake tremendously and even then I will be lucky to have them for 2-3 years. They are 19months now and this is when they start to show stress...

Soo sad that people did this through gluttony... there are plenty of hens that lay 4-5 eggs weekly. With this kind of terrible fate no one should support this breed.... my poor girls!!

 

[U_Stormcrow]

Nobody paged me???

This is a subject where a little knowledge is a dangerous thing. Different breeds DO have different nutritional needs for "optimum" feeding, balancing expense against production in commercial management conditions. That said, the differences are pretty minor, NOTHING you will notice in a typical backyard flock. Nor has it been well studied outside commercial management practices - there just isn't any money in maintaining an RSL, BSL, or white leghorn past around 20-24 months or so in age - the decrease in egg production more than offsets, in most factories, the cost of raising up a replacement layer, after factoring in the value of selling the retired hen for use in pet food, poultry by-product meal, etc.

Here is a "study of studies", with the recommended amino acid feed profiles for various birds. And here's similar, with protein levels and key aminos (meaties, "white egg" layers, "brown egg" layers, etc) determined from various research over the last couple decades.

tl;dr? The differences in egg production (frequency, size) between a 16% layer and a 20% "All Flock" type feed are typically in the 2-3% range, each - as in a bird that produces 200 eggs a year on 16% protein feed will likely produce, on average 205 eggs per year +/- on the higher protein feed, and the average egg weight will likely increase from about 56 to near 58 grams. Both measureable differences, but unlikely to be noticed without really good record keeping.

Likewise, RSL tend to be lighter than BSL, so all other things being equal, RSL are expected to consume less feed to maintain body weight. All other things, of course, aren't equal. RSL are often better layers than BSL (barely). Another point towards feed efficiency. Yet some of the most common RSL and BSL share a common sire - the RIR. Again, the differences are tiny. Yet both RSL and BSL consistently outperform their parent lines in size, frequency and/or start of lay. They are more, not less, feed efficient - even before considering the savings of not needing to feed "excess" males until they can be identified and culled.

If you have flocks of hundred, thousands, you are likely to notice with good records. A flock of a dozen? Individual variations in birds likely dwarf any breed trends.

I'm not saying the original breeder was lying - he or she may honestly believe the claim to be true, having convinced themselves of its veracity by failing to make a proper comparison. Or by reliance on memory, not records. We humans are good at decieving ourselves.

What's your yardstick? Feed per egg? Feed per egg gram? Feed per finished weight? at what age? I *am* saying that, for egg laying efficiency as measured by feed consumption, the sex links are about the best birds out there - which is why they are used commercially for that purpose. and yes, they do have slightly different feed needs, just as a serama's needs differ from a brahma or a sussex.

But for the way the typical backyard owner manages the typical backyard flock, its not noticable. Even with very good records.