silkies and food

[stumble_n_mumble]

haha not silkies as food!!

when should i feed layer pellets to my silkie.

shes 20 weeks old and i want her to start laying. shes inside and has been since shes hatched!

will the pellets cause her to speed up the egg laying process!! thanks for the help!!

Brandon!!!

 

[funonahonda]

I'm not exactly sure when to switch them but, Pellets might be to big for the silkies but I'm not sure thats what I think, but thanks for the question because I have silkies and I feed them crumble because I thought pellets were to big for them.

 

[Southernbelle]

I think the general rule is to wait until they start laying then switch to laying formula. Feeding laying formula won't encourage them to lay, it just supports their nutritional needs after they've begun laying. It has higher calcium content and lower protein.

I feed my all my chickens pellets and they do fine - I have d'Uccles and Silkies and a variety of standard sized birds.

 

[stumble_n_mumble]

ok thank you! i have them on gamebird pellets anyway so the switch wont be too bad. thanks!

 

[imfowl]

You should switch her now so that she can get the calcium she needs to produce eggs. The rule I always follow is:
Chick starter 0-5 weeks
Grower-Finisher 5-16 weeks
Layer feed 16 weeks and up
For meat birds, I use 26% quail starter from hatch till slaughter. It is expensive, but it fattens them up better than broiler feed.

 

[stumble_n_mumble]

ok and if there not for slaughter any old layer feed is good?

 

[katrinag]

Feeding layers will not speed up egg production. I have always waited to feed layers till I got my first egg. But there are lots of people that say start feeding at 18 weeks. I guess do what eever you think is best for your chickens.
If you have chickens of different age you can buy flock raiser and make sure you have oyster shell free choice.

I like layer pellets better as they seem not to waste so much.

 

[imfowl]

Yes, any brand is good as long as it's 16%. Don't stress over getting it exactly perfect, because it really doesn't matter that much. When I have different aged birds in the run, I feed them all layer pellets, even the chicks. I have never lost any to malnutrition or digestive problems. Think of people your grandparents' age. All they ever fed chickens was corn, and they were just fine. And now people claim chickens need special feeds and supplements. The anatomy of chickens didn't change, we just believe anything that people that are selling stuff tell us.

 

[katrinag]

^^^^ you could not have said it any better.

 

[stumble_n_mumble]

lol that makes sense THANKS! how do i have 16%?