PLEASE TRY THIS FEED!! My 11 hens have laid over 100 eggs so far this year. Poll: what brand of feed do you get?

[StinkyAcres]

I recently switched my hens to Kalmbach layer and since then several of them have come down with one type of ailment or another. First time in 15 years dealing with sour crop and frequent thin-shelled eggs. I can't prove it's the feed, but I'll probably be switching back to DuMOR after I run out.

 

[talkinboutchickens]

Maybe find some people willing to buy eggs!

I personally think that buying eggs from someone with backyard chickens is much better than buying eggs from the commercial farms with chickens in "battery cages." And eggs from backyard chickens who get access to plants and other sources of food have better tasting eggs.

Yes! I found maybe 1-2 buyers but they don't get eggs often at all. I hate store bought eggs personally. I also hate the way people treat chickens in egg factories It's kinda stupid when cartons will say on them "cage-free" and many people picture the chickens in an open field but in reality its just chickens cramped in a dark building. I mean, they are not in cages, but they are still cramped.

 

[GlicksChicks]

Yes! I found maybe 1-2 buyers but they don't get eggs often at all. I hate store bought eggs personally. I also hate the way people treat chickens in egg factories It's kinda stupid when cartons will say on them "cage-free" and many people picture the chickens in an open field but in reality its just chickens cramped in a dark building. I mean, they are not in cages, but they are still cramped.

I agree with those statements. You should take a look at my thread addressing the commercial chicken industries.

https://www.backyardchickens.com/th...-vs-backyard-eggs-meat.1625943/#post-27774461

I would recommend putting a sign up next to the road about eggs for sale!

 

[talkinboutchickens]

I recently switched my hens to Kalmbach layer and since then several of them have come down with one type of ailment or another. First time in 15 years dealing with sour crop and frequent thin-shelled eggs. I can't prove it's the feed, but I'll probably be switching back to DuMOR after I run out.

Maybe your chickens don't have enough calcium? The only time I have ever got a soft shelled egg was when a hen laid her first egg. And she was on a different feed then. But, different people have different experiences with things of course

 

[NatJ]

From my 11 free-range hens I have gotten maybe 120+ eggs from them so far this year.

I'm not sure if you are saying each hen laid 120+ eggs, or if that is the total count from all 11 hens combined.

This is the 148th day of 2024. If each hen has laid 120+ eggs so far this year, I agree that they are laying very well.

But if 120 eggs is the total, that makes about 11 eggs per hen, which I would consider very disappointing by late May. Any reasonable layer should be able to lay 11 eggs in 2 weeks at this time of year, even if she takes time off at other seasons.

 

[Shelly0723]

I use Henhouse and Chickhouse Reserve for my hens and baby chicks. They hated it. They don't like scratch or pellet feed so would not touch it. I then started to mix the Henhouse/ Chickhouse Reserve with pellet feed (crumble feed for the baby chicks) and soak it so the pellets in Kalmbach feed dissolve because they are too hard. My hens and chick LOVE it. Where before they would not touch it and leave all the food, now the container is emptied every evening. I now buy the reserve and crumble feed for them since that is what is working and they are laying more eggs again, they went from 2 when they were not eating much feed to 6(2 hens were broody and the other 6 are laying again) after a few days of reserve pellet feed mash. I want to add that with my previous feed, we were getting 6-8 eggs a day from my 8 hens so that averages to around 270 from each a year going off of 6 a day to account for winter time. I do have one that lays 3x a week but the rest are 5x a week.

 

[Friendofchix]

If you have too many eggs you can always donate them to a local food bank. They will be much appreciated. BTW, I usually get 6 eggs from 8 hens each day. That’s about 112 eggs per hen this year.

 

[Logar]

I have been trying out new feeds and am currently feeding NatureWise 20% all flock. They don’t seem to be massive fans of it but I have 80 pounds of it and they eat enough of it that it doesn’t justify returning it. I also did try Cluck & Co 20% all flock and my 6 seemed to absolutely love it. It actually smelled good. I never thought I would say that about a chicken feed. But at $25 for a 25 pound bag I don’t think it is worth it

 

[tlcmurphy]

Hi all!

Disclaimer:
This is not an advertisement I just really like this brand of feed. It has really worked for me and my chickens love it.

I've seen a lot of threads and posts saying that their hens are laying hardly any eggs.
I want to share with you what chicken feed I get MY chickens. It's literally a miracle-worker. I swear by it. When I switched over to this brand I saw a noticeable difference.
It's called Kalmbach feeds. They sell feed for many types of farm animals.
From my 11 free-range hens I have gotten maybe 120+ eggs from them so far this year. It's not only the feed that helps them lay more eggs, it's other factors as well. Mine are let out every morning and go to bed by themselves every night. I feed them table scraps, such as fruits and veggies every now-and-then, but no human junk food. I also feed them whole eggs (yes I get PLENTY extra.) They eat the innards as well as the shells which are a fantastic source of calcium (especially if your chickens are picky like mine and won't eat crushed oyster shells)
If your hens are barely laying any eggs, or if they are pullets and are taking a while to lay their first egg, then please try this brand out.
In my area, 20 pound bags are $16.49, and 50 pound bags are $20 to $25 depending on what type it is. They have this type of feed called "Henhouse Reserve" made with all natural ingredients such as whole grains, seeds, and veggies (and other stuff as well.) But I find that my chickens pick through it to get to their favorite parts. They act like such spoiled little brats sometimes

Anyway, give this a try. I don't think they carry it at Tractor Supply, but you can get it online and I think Walmart may have it as well!

Amazon and Chewy also sell Kalmbach, but not all the formulations

 

[Brooks_]

Hi all!

Disclaimer:
This is not an advertisement I just really like this brand of feed. It has really worked for me and my chickens love it.

I've seen a lot of threads and posts saying that their hens are laying hardly any eggs.
I want to share with you what chicken feed I get MY chickens. It's literally a miracle-worker. I swear by it. When I switched over to this brand I saw a noticeable difference.
It's called Kalmbach feeds. They sell feed for many types of farm animals.
From my 11 free-range hens I have gotten maybe 120+ eggs from them so far this year. It's not only the feed that helps them lay more eggs, it's other factors as well. Mine are let out every morning and go to bed by themselves every night. I feed them table scraps, such as fruits and veggies every now-and-then, but no human junk food. I also feed them whole eggs (yes I get PLENTY extra.) They eat the innards as well as the shells which are a fantastic source of calcium (especially if your chickens are picky like mine and won't eat crushed oyster shells)
If your hens are barely laying any eggs, or if they are pullets and are taking a while to lay their first egg, then please try this brand out.
In my area, 20 pound bags are $16.49, and 50 pound bags are $20 to $25 depending on what type it is. They have this type of feed called "Henhouse Reserve" made with all natural ingredients such as whole grains, seeds, and veggies (and other stuff as well.) But I find that my chickens pick through it to get to their favorite parts. They act like such spoiled little brats sometimes

Anyway, give this a try. I don't think they carry it at Tractor Supply, but you can get it online and I think Walmart may have it as well!

I had been using Purina flock raiser, but another price increase motivated me to give DuMor 20% another try. From what I have heard and seen, Kalmbach is a fine feed that I would try based on availability and price (and freshness)