Why do you think so many say such a thing though? Even people doing this for years advise against it. Even the folks in our community who have been raising birds for over 50 years have them on grower. Do you feed layer because of it's availability? Because of price?Which food? People or chickens?
I've heard all that layer mash will hurt the chick's kidneys claptrap on BYC and there have been no studies that I could find to confirm that...just theories. Tell my 6 yr old birds out there how bad it is for their kidneys...they haven't gotten the message yet.Before they were turned over to other people, I still had 15 of the original flock of 30 ordered as chicks that year...I culled some for nonlay, a few of the production breeds and Doms died of heart failure in the second year(pretty normal for hatchery stock) and the rest were laying like gang busters into their 5 th year. Right behind them was a whole flock of 6 mo. old birds coming into lay...all healthy as horses. They did well...so did the meaties in the past and the last ones this spring. And all the other chicks I raised on it.
I once fell for that and thought, maybe I should use flock raiser instead of layer when I integrate my 2 wk old chicks back into the flock with mama, even used chick starter for the first 2 wks...but looked around at my thriving flock and their great performance and thought better of it. Same with the rooster...he eats layer. Many will tell you that, since he doesn't lay, he cannot utilize the calcium. Have you SEEN the leg bones on this rooster??? All my roosters have eaten layer ration.
Tell me this one....babies drink milk. All mammalian babies drink milk for the first months of their lives. That very high calcium diet does what? Build strong bones for good growth. Not a kidney failure in a one of them. Granted bird kidneys are different than mammals...but not much.
By the time I have chicks in my layer flocks, they are eating 100% layer mash...no whole grains. I also give my chicks BOSS within the first 2-3 days of their being here~throw some in the bedding and watch the show. Lets mama teach them how to forage, right there in the brooder and it also teaches those without a mama to do the same.
All my birds eat the same food as well. Grower with 16% protein.
Just use Italics.Well, it's about time you came on up on the porch!Saw you around but didn't know you. What a great opportunity for you to raise chickens with a built in farm handy. Funny that your BAs aren't carrying their weight...I've always found mine to be laying when no one else was. But...hatchery genetics vary.
I think you will like doing meaties with FF...I was shocked at the difference in feed use, smell and activity levels on the FF.
So nice to finally "meet" you! One question....how did you get that lovely font on your post?
I wasn't trying to get rowdy at all, hope you didn't sense that :/ Just thought I'd see if you saw valid points in what I posted.I've been doing it for years and I don't advise against it.I feed it because it works and doesn't harm my flocks and I don't have to worry about providing supplemental calcium to some of the production type layers in my flock that need it, like Little Red and some of the BAs I've had, in the winter. I don't change up feeds often and, yes, I do think the free ranging helps with calcium levels.
Everyone has different results in their flocks according to breed, breed source, feed, feed source, type of feeding system, etc. I have had different results than most and it could be that when I have chicks, the bulk of their nutrition is not from that feeder...mama has them out on free range in short order and their gullets are filled to bursting by the time I feed in the evening.
Hence, my advocating free range, chicks in the spring and not the fall, getting the family out of the brooder at 2 wks and onto pasture/foraged feeds, ACV in the water.
No one is choking layer feeds down anyone's elses throats here, so no need to go all linky on me.
Proof? I have healthy birds....on the other hand, I see them~said bra info ladies~ over in the NEED HELP FAST section of the grocery store all the time.
Keep on feeding what you've read in the books, y'all, and I'll keep doing it my way, folks...no need to get all rowdy. I've got it all in hand and my birds are still producing in their geriatric years with beautiful white urates on their feces.
