This is what a balanced layer feed with no treats delivers

[Perris]

I get that you are against commercial feed

what I am against is the habit of some people on here to tell anyone with a sick bird to give them commercial feed and nothing else.
Or to recommend changing the diet of all birds when just one has an issue. I am against treating all birds in a flock as clones, I guess. It's understandable in a commercial setting, but it makes no sense with backyard chickens.

 

[Brooks_]

Obviously not, meat birds are a completely different ball game. And they are now harvested at 4-6 weeks, not 8-12.

Why the disconnect? they are both bred to be unnatural for their purpose.

 

[Perris]

Selective breeding is involved in both cases but the scale is very different. Modern meat birds struggle to stay alive to harvest date. Layers have to get to maturity to start laying.

edited to add, this states that 50 years of selective breeding of 3 strains of layers, despite the huge improvement in productivity, has not impacted medullary bone density even through an extended lay cycle of 100 weeks, Bone and eggshell quality throughout an extended laying cycle in three strains of layers spanning 50 years of selection, Poultry science 2022: "Plasma calcium levels were significantly elevated between the immature state and peak of lay but remained unchanged throughout lay in all strains. In conclusion, our results show that although genetic selection of layer hens resulted in tremendous improvement in productivity, no detrimental effects on cBMD or mBMD were observed throughout an extended laying period up to 100 weeks of age." https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0032579121006921
Layers' bodies are intrinsically capable of laying well for significantly longer than they do in modern industrial egg units.

 

[Brooks_]

what I am against is the habit of some people on here to tell anyone with a sick bird to give them commercial feed and nothing else.
Or to recommend changing the diet of all birds when just one has an issue. I am against treating all birds in a flock as clones, I guess. It's understandable in a commercial setting, but it makes no sense with backyard chickens.

Fair. But by sticking to commercial feed, one could ascertain if treats were throwing the balance off. And if the issue persists, it is easier to treat one bird than to feed them separately.

 

[Perris]

You are assuming what requires to be proved, to wit, that the feed is providing a balance (whatever that really means).

 

[Brooks_]

You are assuming what requires to be proved,

The guaranteed analysis carries weight here.

that the feed is providing a balance (whatever that really means).

Then one must compare said analysis to nutritional needs.

Some feeds are substandard, some are good enough, some are really good.

 

[Perris]

are you claiming that commercial layer feed provides hens with a balanced diet? And that the nutritional analysis proves it?
What about when the protein figures are reached by e.g. adding melamine?
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0032579119420221?via=ihub

 

[Perris]

I thought the commercial and the byc layer feed is the same if its from same factory /same brand. And the producers only put the byc feed in bags and not in a silo.

you are correct for at least some manufacturers here. One of the best is Heygates. Their front page says that besides the sacks for people like us they have a range of feeds available in loose bulk, minimum order 4 tonnes.
https://www.heygatesfeeds.co.uk/general/poultry-feeds/

 

[Brooks_]

are you claiming that commercial layer feed provides hens with a balanced diet? And that the nutritional analysis proves it?
What about when the protein figures are reached by e.g. adding melamine?
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0032579119420221?via=ihub

The highest tested dose (500 mg/kg) was related to the highest level of contamination found in animal feed (WHO, December 1–4, 2008), theoretically falsely increasing the protein concentration by 0.2%,

 

[Perris]

The highest tested dose (500 mg/kg) was related to the highest level of contamination found in animal feed (WHO, December 1–4, 2008), theoretically falsely increasing the protein concentration by 0.2%,

because the purpose of this research was to establish whether, "Following the accidental contamination of a feed mill with melamine, and when rigorous cleaning of the system is lacking, can low residual contamination be a hazard to the consumer?" and not when it has been added fraudulently. This work was prompted by the dog and cat melamine poisoning cases in the States, and the big head baby cases in China, where it had been added to infant formula to boost the nutritional results, shortly before the research in question was undertaken.