When to switch mixed breed 10 chicken flock to layer feed?

[cavemanrich]

So, I added a side dish of calcium to the grower feed.

Just some additional info.
I give ALL the egg shells back to the chickens. Some peeps dry, and bake , and grind. I just drop on ground in run and crush with my shoe. Have done it this way for over 20 years. (that is how long I started to keep pet chickens) Mom, back on our homestead did same way 60 years ago.

 

[gtaus]

Just some additional info.
I give ALL the egg shells back to the chickens. Some peeps dry, and bake , and grind. I just drop on ground in run and crush with my shoe. Have done it this way for over 20 years. (that is how long I started to keep pet chickens) Mom, back on our homestead did same way 60 years ago.

Sounds easy enough. Do the chickens eat the crushed egg shells, or do the crushed egg shells just disappear into the chicken run litter/ground?

I thought the egg shells had to be dried, baked, and ground up before giving them to the chickens. That sounded like too much work. We don't do much baking in my house. So I have just been dumping the egg shells into the compost pile. Your idea is better.

 

[gtaus]

Here some pics and video(last post just updated: https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/grain-mites.981212/

Nasty little bugs. I guess I'll have to look really close to see them.

I'll check the mill date on the feed I just bought. I have read that feed stays good for 4-6 months if properly stored. Is that true? All the feed I have bought from that store has been good, so far. But I have never checked for any mill dates.

 

[cavemanrich]

Sounds easy enough. Do the chickens eat the crushed egg shells, or do the crushed egg shells just disappear into the chicken run litter/ground?

They certainly do eat them. It is on clear hard ground part of run where I place feed and water. I crush into small pieces with foot, so chickens have easier time. Larger pieces like halves of eggshells, they would peck, and fling in the process of trying to break off a swallow-able piece.

All the feed I have bought from that store has been good, so far. But I have never checked for any mill dates.

I have to purchase larger quantity of feed (even though I have few chickens) because the feed store is far away. My transportation issue is in consideration of this. I keep my feed in original bags, inside Metal Cans, and in dry location. I never had any insects, or mold occur in my feed.

 

[Sequel]

Many of us don't use layer food at all as you know by now. 16% protein is very minimal as @cavemanrich pointed out. If your chickens get a lot of low protein treats, this 16% minimum just got diluted down by the 8% scratch grains and whatever bread has, probably not that much.

I figure that layer feed is designed for the chickens in cages who get absolutely nothing else and there is no intent to support the birds any longer than maybe 2 egg seasons. That's my own opinion, I am not a chicken nutritionist and I don't even play one on television. I let my grandkids feed their toast crusts to my chickens once a week and I only have a small flock of 6 hens so a couple dollars more for the all flock type food is cheap peace of mind for me.

Many many many people use layer food and have wonderful results. You will too I'm sure whatever you decide to do. Good luck!

 

[cavemanrich]

That's my own opinion, I am not a chicken nutritionist and I don't even play one on television.

You may have ran across one of my long ago posts, and decided to borrow that line,,,,,,, or you still remember same commercial I got it from

 

[Sequel]

You may have ran across one of my long ago posts, and decided to borrow that line,,,,,,, or you still remember same commercial I got it from

Haha! It was the commercial. Don't remember exactly how it went but I remember thinking it was funny!

 

[aart]

I have read that feed stays good for 4-6 months if properly stored. Is that true?

Eh, there is no expiration date on feed. so there has not likely been any testing done....and the stores usually observe a 6 month shelf life....but the nutrients can degrade over time. Might depend on how it was stored, but there's really know way to know for sure.
I've bought 6mo feed, it looked and smelled fine, but they didn't eat it as voraciously as usual, and the next bag was much fresher...they ate more, immediately, and egg production went up. That convinced me that the fresher the better. Some will tell you not to buy anything more than 2 weeks old, but good luck finding that.

I never had any insects, or mold occur in my feed.

Grain mites came in the bag from the mill.

 

[gtaus]

They certainly do eat [crushed egg shells]. It is on clear hard ground part of run where I place feed and water. I crush into small pieces with foot, so chickens have easier time. Larger pieces like halves of eggshells, they would peck, and fling in the process of trying to break off a swallow-able piece.

I really like the idea of just crushing the egg shells and feeding them back to the chickens. Since my chickens have now picked the grass in the run down to dirt, I have just been dumping my grass clippings from mowing on the ground. My run is currently covered in about 2 inches of grass clippings, and soon I will be adding wood chips to the material. I figure I might as well turn the run litter into a compost type material that I can shovel out and use in the garden as needed. Anyway, I have a large rubber feed pan that I could put the crushed egg shells in and maybe that way they will get eaten first and not get absorbed into the run litter as compost.

I am new to laying hens, and I really appreciate suggestions that reduce the amount of time or effort in caring for the chickens. I could not see where it made any sense for me to bake, crush, and grind leftover egg shells for the birds. A bag of oyster shells or calcium is just much cheaper than all that effort. Your suggestion both saves time and money, so I will be using that method and feeding back the egg shells to the chickens rather than just dumping them into the compost pile. Thanks.

 

[gtaus]

Eh, there is no expiration date on feed. so there has not likely been any testing done....and the stores usually observe a 6 month shelf life....but the nutrients can degrade over time.

I would agree that fresher is better in feed. I have read that nutrients can degrade over time, but not by much. More likely it loses its taste and the chickens don't care for it compared to fresh feed. At the moment, my chickens eat lots of grass and foraging stuff and not so much of the commercial feed. I suppose the commercial feed will be more important in winter when foraging options are nil.