whats a good feed that has 0 egg laying hormones?

[castrbl]

i need to switch my hen to a new feed but literally all feed in stores has egg laying hormones which i do not want. what are some organic, natural brands to look for?

 

[EggSighted4Life]

Hi, hope you are enjoying BYC!

Feeds DON'T have laying hormones added to them. It's illegal in the US. Adding your general location to your profile can help others make more relevant suggestions at a glance without having to ask first.

Feeds that are labeled "layer" have calcium added to them to form egg shells for layers. Usually close to 4 or 5%. Non laying feeds will closer to 1% calcium. "Layer" feed is also lower in protein at about 16%... verses any grower will be about 18% protein... and flock raiser is 20% and most starter is around 22% protein. The ONLY (main) difference in ALL the feeds is PROTEIN and CALCIUM levels. There will be other minor differences in vitamin and mineral content of others.

Using ANY starter feed or flock raiser will have less calcium in them. The hen makes her own laying hormones... and it is light sensitive. More light equals more laying hormones... less light equals less hormones NATURALLY occurring IN the hen.

If you have an issue that you care to elaborate on... I will share all relevant information I have. Hope all is well for ya guys!

 

[ChickenCanoe]

There are no hormones of any kind in poultry feed.
Read the ingredient list. If you have found 'egg laying hormones' in your feed, please cite what those are for me.
As a professor of poultry production, I love to learn new things I didn't know before.

 

[ChickenCanoe]

I'd be happy to help. Could you tell me what the hormone is that you found in your feed ingredient list?

 

[Chickassan]

Hello again! I already answerd on one of your other threads but this may be what you're looking for.https://www.scratchandpeck.com
Very grain based feed and they carry all life stages, you can also get it from Chewy.com as well.

 

[castrbl]

I'd be happy to help. Could you tell me what the hormone is that you found in your feed ingredient list?

i havent bought a new feed yet (i will on sunday probably)
ive just heard that layer feed pushes chickens to lay more than they should and i only want the best for my hen.

 

[castrbl]

Hello again! I already answerd on one of your other threads but this may be what you're looking for.https://www.scratchandpeck.com
Very grain based feed and they carry all life stages, you can also get it from Chewy.com as well.

ah thank you! that thread was a while ago so i forgot

 

[DobieLover]

do you like making me feel horrible about myself lol
i will happily provide proof of my hen being happy and healthy and having fun but go off.

If you feel horrible about yourself, I don't know why. It was not my intention to make you feel bad so I'm sorry if that is the way you interpreted my reply. However, you have demonstrated over and over again that you will not take the advice you've come here asking for. It is more than a wee bit mind boggling.
Everyone wants you to succeed with your chicken. But you won't take our advice.
Why on earth do you keep asking the same thing over and over but in a different way?
Your chicken is coming up on POL soon. You will then find out that regardless of your refusal to provide her with a layer's diet when she starts to produce eggs (and she most assuredly WILL produce lots of eggs as she is a black sex link that was bred to do just that) she will simply start laying shell-less or soft-shelled eggs. That in and of itself will be an issue for her.
Good luck with your girl. Whether you believe that or not, I really mean it.

 

[castrbl]

If you feel horrible about yourself, I don't know why. It was not my intention to make you feel bad so I'm sorry if that is the way you interpreted my reply. However, you have demonstrated over and over again that you will not take the advice you've come here asking for. It is more than a wee bit mind boggling.
Everyone wants you to succeed with your chicken. But you won't take our advice.
Why on earth do you keep asking the same thing over and over but in a different way?
Your chicken is coming up on POL soon. You will then find out that regardless of your refusal to provide her with a layer's diet when she starts to produce eggs (and she most assuredly WILL produce lots of eggs as she is a black sex link that was bred to do just that) she will simply start laying shell-less or soft-shelled eggs. That in and of itself will be an issue for her.
Good luck with your girl. Whether you believe that or not, I really mean it.

i have been taking the advice. the last thread about feed was a while back when i didnt have her adult feed in mind yet so ive forgotten if anyone said anything about the adult feed.

 

[ChickenCanoe]

i havent bought a new feed yet (i will on sunday probably)
ive just heard that layer feed pushes chickens to lay more than they should and i only want the best for my hen.

What you have heard is false. There was an attempt around the 1940s to use hormones in chickens but it had to be injected and therefor was cost prohibitive so the experiment ended.
The tremendous gains in poultry production for both eggs and meat have come from genetic selection and nutritional research - not hormones.
Other than slight differences in protein and some vitamins/minerals/fats/fiber, the only significant difference in layer feed and all the others (starter/grower/finisher/all flock) is calcium content. Layer usually has about 4% calcium while the others average around 1%. The high calcium content is to replace the calcium the bird pulls from the medullary bone to build a shell when an egg enters the uterus (shell gland),
A layer that is quite productive will use all the available body stores of calcium in just a few days of full production and can rapidly develop skeletal problems - not to mention thin shells or shell-less eggs.
Do you only have one pullet?
If so, you'll need to buy very small bags of feed (5-10 lbs.) because one bird won't be able to eat a 40-50 lb. bag of feed before much of the nutrition is lost.
Also, chickens are flock animals and need chicken friends.