What should i be feeding them?

[9farmgirl9]

I am not a first time chicken owner, but the chickens we currently have 24 RIR, 2 Red star, Silkies(only 3months). Are pigs ino people leave feed out 24/7 but i can't do that--they at till its gone. Oh and i also have 21 guineas eating the same food. They are both getting a 1/2 a 5 gal. bucket-- the chickens are laying terrible-- but they have been for 6months. What i am wanting to know is what should i feed them both for strong shells, for good laying, i feed them cheese once a week. And i want to know what you feed your flock? Please help!

 

[DixieChickie]

Well my girls had always been on Purina's Layena with oyster shells available at all times......trying to save a couple of bucks almost a month ago I switched to Nutrena's layer feed........production went way way down and I lost 2 hens.......I trashed the Nutrena and have put my remaining 3 back on Layena and they are improving.

 

[9farmgirl9]

Oh wow i am srry to here that but ive never heard of Purina's Layena. What does it look like?

 

[Grand-hen-ma]

I have been using the Nutrena myself. At first I was getting tons of eggs. For the last few months I am only getting a few a day. I just thought they weren't laying because it was so hot out. But now that Dixie Chickie mentioned her hens not laying, I am wondering if Neutrina changed their formula? I used to have the pellets then went to the crumbles. When the girls had the crumbles, the stuff was eaten like mad. Now that I have the pellets, the girls don't eat as much and I noticed some of the brown eggs are thinner shelled. Come to think of it, not long ago Neutrina changed their bag. Maybe that's when they changed their formula, if they did. I will try another feed store for hopefully better food.

 

[DixieChickie]

Yep since my 5 girls hit laying age, I would get 5 eggs a day as soon as days gt longer. Within 3 days of switching to Nutrena egg production went sporadic, egg colors turned almost white, they started getting smaller (I even got some that were 3/4 the size of my bantam eggs) I noticed thin shells. I made the decision to switch feeds back, and when I came home from the feed store my favorite hen was unable to stand......that night she passed a very small egg with very little shell layer, and it was broken. The next morning I found my second favorite hen the same way. ..... I hadn't gotten any eggs in 2 or 3 days at this point. I lost both girls. The remaining 3 have been back on Layena for about a week and 2 days now....and they are back to laying, color of eggs is returning to their normal brown, and egg size is back to normal.

I can't say for certain it was the Nutrena, but if it wasn't it sure was some big coincidences.....and I will probably beat myself up over switching them, for a long time to come.

 

[Grand-hen-ma]

Oh my gosh! This sounds so much like my problems! Even the egg color and size and I have a hen that went to feeling poorly. She had a very messy bottom so I washed her and put her into another pen so the other girls wouldn't pick on her. I went to Suburban Feed yesterday and picked up a bag of the Layena and my girls began eating it like mad. Thanks DixieChickie

 

[DixieChickie]

I hope your girl pulls through. One of mine was the boss hen, it's kinda put my girls in a disarray.

 

[9farmgirl9]

So what feeds would you reccomend tha fills them up and has good production

 

[9farmgirl9]

An update: Changed their feed and surprizing but i didn't relize that i feeding them Nutrena. And changed to Purnia Layena. And were getting 4 eggs everyday, now ten, 9, 8 then yesterday 6 but i didn't feed them till noon. So egg production doing better.