One of my hens made the mistake of using the pigs trough as a place to sit, it was used as a cushion by one of the piglets, and what had been a healthy happy bird 2 minutes prior was a sad looking bunch of feathers when I came back. Not wanting to wast an otherwise healthy bird it was duly skinned ready for the stew pot. We noticed this not very old bird was a bit fatty. Apart from eating the local fruits .... which include bananas,mangoes and avocados, they scratch for feed during the day, and get commercial 19% Layer protein feed at night to tempt them back into the coup. I am wondering if the 19% isn't perhaps too rich for them, and that maybe I should drop the protein level to 17%. I had to stop feeding them in the morning as they would just gulp it down and then sit around all day waiting for supper. I wouldn't want my girls getting angina... Anyone got a step walker for lazy chickens.....
Protein doesn't contribute to body fat, I'd leave the feed where it is. My hens often have a nice bunch of fat and they're all healthy.
Don't think of it as a 20% protein feed. Think how much protein is my chicken receiving overall taking into consideration all the low protein treats they are getting. I feed a 20% layer pellet for that every reason. If they get 1/2 of their diet from a 20% pellet and 1/2 of their diet from 2% fruit and scrapes, their overall diet is really only coming in at 11%. That's rather low for a laying hen. I would pin the fat on the avocados. They are a high fat treat (15%) that gives your hens a nice bloom to their feathers and good marbling.
