What commercial feed do you use for your laying hens?

[NameIwish]

We have been feeding our hens Kalmbalch All Natural feed (17% protein).

We've been raising birds for some fifteen years now on Cracked Corn and whatever they scratch up free-ranging. Our eggs are lovely specimens and bakers love 'em. It costs us move to produce the eggs than we get selling them off, but we don't count how many eggs we eat in the equation (actually in the kitchen). Now, I would not be surprised to find that Kalmbalch sells a branded cracked corn for two dollars or so more than Rural King gets for their 'brand.' But corn is corn is corn and, as long as they crack it fine enough and keep the price down around $10 for 50#, my hens and wallet are happy campers.

They also get all the egg shells and table scraps and watermelon and cantaloupe and pineapple 'rinds'

 

[NorthwoodsChick]

I feed Prince 18% all-flock small pellet with oyster shell on the side.

 

[The Lazy Farm Girl]

I use Kalmbach 20% Flock Maker pellets or Healthy Harvest non-GMO 20% chick starter crumbles. Some of my girls don’t like pellets. I offer oyster shell or crushed egg shell separately.

 

[Obiwan Henobi]

I use Kalmbach 20% Flock Maker pellets or Healthy Harvest non-GMO 20% chick starter crumbles. Some of my girls don’t like pellets. I offer oyster shell or crushed egg shell separately.

I wonder why some turn their nose (beaks?) up to the pellets. I've seen several posts saying that their hens prefer pellets vs. crumbles (or vice versa) but I've feed both forms to our girls and I've not noticed any real preference.

 

[The Lazy Farm Girl]

I wonder why some turn their nose (beaks?) up to the pellets. I've seen several posts saying that their hens prefer pellets vs. crumbles (or vice versa) but I've feed both forms to our girls and I've not noticed any real preference.

It's a mystery - particularly when they're made by the same company. I can understand it with a different brand. I bought some Hen Up and the girls would starve before they'd eat it!