What are some good egg laying feeds

[chickyfuzz]

What are some good egg laying feeds

 

[ChickenManTN]

For pre-mixed layer feeds, I prefer the pellet form over the crumbles because less is wasted. I couldn't recommend one brand over another, but the layer rations containing flax seed will give you more Omega-3 in your eggs (healthy fat). If you are feeding a finisher or maintenance feed you could continue with that and add crushed oyster shell, free choice on the side, so the hens can get the calcium they need for egg production. It's good to save eggshells and give them back to the hens to replace the minerals they are losing when laying. It's probably a good idea to crush the eggshells so they don't look so much like eggs anymore. (Don't want to give them any bad ideas about eating eggs.) Plenty of fresh greens make for healthier hens and better eggs (with yellower yolks), pasture or grass clippings in the warm months and alfalfa pellets or sprouted grains in the winter, as a supplement. I have never personally tried the alfalfa pellets or sprouted grains, only read about them. I do know that the greens lose some of their goodness when they are dried and crushed into pellets, so the sprouts are probably a better choice. My chickens are still getting grass right now, but I may have to try sprouting some scratch grains in a few weeks.

I'm sure someone smarter than me can give a better answer. I'm just getting back into raising chickens and still have a ton of learning to do. When I raised them years ago, as a child, they just free ranged and only got scratch feed and egg shells from me. They laid plenty of really good eggs, but I'm learning that it can be done a lot better than that!

 

[ChickenManTN]

One more thing:

Some recent studying has shown that we should probably all be fermenting our chickens' feed. The results are phenomenal and the benefits make for a very long list, including improved laying with larger yolks and thicker shells. Search BYC for "fermenting feed" for more info. Many people start fermentation with unpasteurized apple cider vinegar, which also happens to have a huge list of benefits for us, if we choose to take a sip now and then. I found a very affordable source online, with free shipping on every order, www.pipingrock.com. I have never ordered from them, so I can't recommend them, but I will be placing my first order here in about 30 seconds...