What's your best feed recipe for a moulting flock?

[astatula]

I have one coop of 8 hens that have been in moult for about 2 weeks now. I always put fresh fruit in their runs every morning (1/2 cantalope / watermellon...) because of the heat and they like it. But I have read that fruit is not a good thing during moulting, so I have stopped.

I started giving them half layer and half gamebird (30% protein) feed mix a few days ago because I also read that protein is more important during moulting.

So the ration right now is just fresh water twice daily and 1/2 and 1/2 mix of layer feed and gamebird feed.

What can I do to improve their situation and bring them through this moult healthy and quickly?

 

[Chris09]

The extra protein is good for them.
What is the protein percentage of the layer?
You may also want to add a hand full of Black Oil Sunflower Seed (BOSS) to there feed once a day. The oil in the BOSS will also help some...

Chris

 

[WoodlandWoman]

Sunflower seed also has methionine in it. Feathers contain a lot of methionine. I feed them more sunflower when they're molting, too. It seems to help.

Extra protein is definitely helpful when they're molting, which you are already doing.

 

[Chris09]

Yes Black Oil Sunflower seed (BOSS) is quite high in methionine but it can be quite low in protein and quite high in indigestible fiber.
So I wouldn't over do it because it can drop the over all protein of your feed..

Sunflower seed contains--
14% - 17% of protein,
32% of oil,
3 1/2% of mineral salts,
28 to 30% of crude indigestible fiber.

Chris

 

[BlackBart]

Most people I know give a vitamin suppliment called Poul-Vit in the water when their birds molt.
Also they put it in the water several time during the winter for added vitamins.

http://domvet.com/poulvite.html

 

[astatula]

Okay, I will use a handful of sunflower seeds, non-salted black oily seeds, in straight gamebird feed. I'll get the "M'" word supplement and still keep up the protein with the 30% in the gamebird feed.

I will keep this going until I see some sort of egg laying start again, they are not laying anything right now, but the other coop with the Delawares and Dominiques is still laying daily, they are 6 months younger and will not moult until the fall.

Thankyou for the advice, Ron

 

[D'Angelo N Va.]

also I have read on here somewhere that a couple hand fulls of dry cat food will help with the protein in take. Has anyone else on here tried this?