Pellets or Crumbles??

[Padmewasmurdered]

My ladies are approaching that age where they will start laying. Very exciting! I’ve been feeding Purina Starter Medicated crumbles. Should I switch to pellets? We have 3 Delewares. Thanks!

 

[DobieLover]

My ladies are approaching that age where they will start laying. Very exciting! I’ve been feeding Purina Starter Medicated crumbles. Should I switch to pellets? We have 3 Delewares. Thanks!

I would switch to Purina Flock Raiser and put out a couple of containers of oyster shell in high traffic zones in the run and or coop and be done with it.
I like to make a wet mash out of mine to feed with my homemade mix of fermented feed. They love it.

 

[Padmewasmurdered]

Fermented feed? Tell me more (please)

 

[DobieLover]

https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/fermented-feed-chicks.1362031/

https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/fermented-feed.1357197/

https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/fermented-feeder-help.1377151/

 

[Justso]

How old are they? Have they actually started to lay?
I would switch to flock raiser or all flock, hold off on + calcium or layer feed until they have started to lay eggs. The advantage of pellets IMHO is that there's much less waste.

 

[Chickassan]

True, unless the Op's Delawares are food snobs and just won't eat pellets then there is a ton of waste.
Not knocking pellets,I wish mine would eat them like you wouldn't believe but they act like iv'e poured them a bowl of razor blades and grizzly bears.

How old are they? Have they actually started to lay?
I would switch to flock raiser or all flock, hold off on + calcium or layer feed until they have started to lay eggs. The advantage of pellets IMHO is that there's much less waste.

 

[Padmewasmurdered]

How old are they? Have they actually started to lay?
I would switch to flock raiser or all flock, hold off on + calcium or layer feed until they have started to lay eggs. The advantage of pellets IMHO is that there's much less wast

 

[Padmewasmurdered]

They are 18wks. I was thinking the same about waste as well.

 

[Padmewasmurdered]

True, unless the Op's Delawares are food snobs and just won't eat pellets then there is a ton of waste.
Not knocking pellets,I wish mine would eat them like you wouldn't believe but they act like iv'e poured them a bowl of razor blades and grizzly bears.

 

[Padmewasmurdered]

We got a small bag of pellet flock raiser & did a test run just to see what they thought....I got scared they were sick because they usually pig out at breakfast. They didn’t eat hardly any. My hubbs brought the spare feeder with their usual crumbles & they about took his hand off trying to get it. We starved them for a whole hour. Def snobs!