Which food is best?

[jan64]

Hi, I have recently bought 3 lovely Warrens, they're 20 weeks old and the guy assured me they will be coming into lay pretty soon - my question is what feed to give them? I already have a Warren that (we suspect) is much older than the 1 year we were told when we purchased her, but we were advised to feed HER Layer Pellets - which we did, but I've heard that Layer Pellets are not the best thing to feed the new girls, due to them not yet laying, and only being 20 weeks old....any advice please??

 

[DomesticGoddess]

I think layer pellets are perfect for them right now, expectually if you want them to start laying soon. I usually start feeding layer feed a lot sooner then that at 15 weeks. By then I've moved young pullets with my older flock and they all get the same feed.

 

[iwiw60]

No expert here, but I would think that at 20 weeks old they should be fed layer feed.

 

[jan64]

The Warren I already have is very erratic with egg production, she went from laying one or two normal eggs here and there, to very small eggs with no yolks, then lastly she laid a very tiny egg (perfectly formed but the size of a thumbnail) about 3 weeks ago, and absolutely nothing since? I was worried that I've been doing something wrong - but she seems perfectly healthy, very alert, and as friendly as ever so I don't know what this egg situation is all about with her???

 

[iwiw60]

I think layer pellets are perfect for them right now, expectually if you want them to start laying soon. I usually start feeding layer feed a lot sooner then that at 15 weeks. By then I've moved young pullets with my older flock and they all get the same feed.

At what age did you start feeding layer feed to your young ones??

 

[jan64]

I'm new to this and I can't work out whether that question was directed at me or not? lol

 

[iwiw60]

I'm new to this and I can't work out whether that question was directed at me or not? lol

Hi Jan! I'm new to this forum, too, but as you can see up in my "reply" I quoted the original poster...that's who I was asking....takes a bit, but you'll get used to all the ins-and-outs of the forum!

 

[jan64]

I'm not great with technology at the best of times - but I will get the hang of it eventually...I hope?

 

[DomesticGoddess]

At what age did you start feeding layer feed to your young ones??

I usually start feeding layer feed at 15 weeks. I've had some breeds like, red sexlinks lay as early as 16 weeks.

 

[ChickenLegs13]

Chart on feed bag says feed layer @ 18 weeks but I usually move my pullets from the growout pen to the layer pen several weeks sooner than that.