Older hens eating all the grower feed!

[LazyOakes]

I have three hens who are already laying, three who are 20 weeks and should start laying anytime, and a 12 week old rooster. Everyone is very recently integrated (the rooster is still separated at night), and the younger ones have been eating Blue Seal Grow and Show crumbles. I have been offering the young hens layer pellets as well over the last 2 weeks, but they seem to prefer the grower crumbles. The rooster has been eating the grower crumbles since 8 weeks. While he has access to the layer pellets, I have never seen him eat them. My older hens have eaten Blue Seal layer pellets since they started laying and have liked them fine, but now they have decided that the grower crumbles are the best thing ever and fight the younger hens and rooster for them. I've had to put out extra feeders so the everyone can eat. I have been putting extra oyster shell out so they will have enough calcium, but what is the great attraction with the grower crumbles? They are lower in protein (15% vs. 16%), and I am concerned that will cause a problem. What does everyone think? Do they like the the crumbles better than the pellets? Is the grower feed tastier?

I was going to start feeding an all flock feed once the rooster is older, but should I do this now? Does anyone have recommendations for a good all flock feed other than the Purina one? Blue Seal does not seem to have an all flock feed other than a grower one.

Thanks!

 

[Judy]

These feeds are not particularly different, except for the protein and calcium. There is nothing wrong with any of them eating grower, or flock raiser. Some layer feeds are 14% protein. It's really up to you -- and of course what they will eat. I've often read here that peoples' chickens prefer crumbles over pellets, but I've never had that experience. I feed pellets now and have switched everyone to starter or grower crumbles several times when I've had chicks in the flock. I guess mine are used to it because they eat whatever, and I've never seen any sign (like diarrhea or being "out of sorts" that the switches bother them.

 

[LazyOakes]

I think you're right about them liking the crumbles over the pellets. They waste so much with the crumbles though, which is why I started feeding pellets in the first place.