Chicken Feed

I used a baby chick formula for the first month, and then switched to a chicken grower formula, which I eventually mixed with layer crumble until they transitioned to straight lay crumble.

Maybe the guy at the feed store was confused, but sometimes they don't know anything about raising animals- they just work there. I would call around to a couple of feed stores- as certain types of feeds are available in some areas and not others (depending on manufacturing/distribution).

My first chickens are 3 months old now and still eating chick starter. Not every feed store carries "grower" crumble and I heard someplace that layer crumble doesn't support growth as well as chick starter. I'm also feeding about a pound of scratch every morning to 20 chickens. I've got a bag of layer crumble on hand - hoping to see an egg!

Hi, I am feeding my chicken hen scrath mixed with oyster shell and also corn cob crumble and she eats the layer crumble too. Is this ok? This is what the pet store told me to get. Does she need anything else to keep her healthy? Thank you,

If you can't find "grower crumble" I've mixed layer with chick starter before.

I've found that if you don't give the lay crumble, the egg shells get a little thin. It also has the right protein balance for a laying hen, or so I've read.

One of my hens started laying at 15 weeks and the other 3 started laying at 16 weeks.  I started feedin  my, laying formula at 14 weeks.  And since I want to keep my hens healthy and laying beyond the 2-3 year normal time before egg production slacks off, I did some feed research

My laying formula include 16% layer crumbles. Some feed companies add a lot of soybean meal to bring the Protein content up to a 16%, 17%, 18% or even 19%  protein. The protene level can be raised by other means than Soybean meal. While technically soy beans are not a hormone, they do memic estrogen. and while feed producers say on their bags "No Hormones" that is not the whole truth.  It is my belief that soy bean meal at a high concentration will cause hens to literally lay them selves to death in a (2) year period. I don't know why the mixture I use coulden be modified slightly an used for Pullets.

When I was in High School back in the 60's I worked part time for a hatchery.  I saw first hand what Hormones do to hens.  At that time Hens were kept in a very large house (20,000) the Lights and music was kept on 24 hrs a day and by 24 months the hens were taken to the chicken processings plant. I would say a majority of those hens had cancers where the eggs come out of the hens.

While I am not totally against "Roasted Soy Bean meal"  I believe it should be kept to a minimum.  My layer feed  formulas is this 

4 cups Layer Crumbles 16%

4 cups Corn         ( I buy ground corn and re-grind it to a heavy  cornmeal consistancy )

2 cups rolled oats  (some rolled oats can contain as much as 24% protene)

1 cup alfalfa meal, or peanut meal, or sunflower meal Whenever I can get them.

In the winter Iam  also feeding  the hens a scratch mixture which contains different grains and seeds.

I also  buy lettuce, Cabbage, Carrots and any other fresh greens I can find and run it all through a food processor. but only to break it up enough so the hens can eat it well.   They especially love the green vegestables over any thing else.

Thanks for the great information chickenfeed!

I will check into my feed to find out about the protein content.

It is difficult if not impossible to find out what goes into the "protein" listed on the feed bag. I do know most commercial chicken growers use 50% Corn and 50% soybeans with a few trace elements. I have found information from researchers that shows that the artificial female hormones are showing up in the eggs people eat. And that is not good news for males or females, but it is especially bad for children.

Hi...I have 11 5week old chicks and one 2week old. I don't have enough chick starter left, and it will be another 7 hours before my husband can get some. I do have layer crumbles, but they told me at the store that the chicks die if they get simple layer crumbles. I called the chick starter company and the man there told me that my chicks should be fine, if they ate a bit of the layer crumbles...Can someone help me and give me a more precise answer on this? Do baby chicks really need medicated chick starter in the first place? Thanks

Im trying to figure out if layer crumbles are bad for baby chicks. My babies get a little mixed in with scratch and chick starter mash. When is it okay to feed layer crumbles to chicks without hurting them?

pls i need someone to give me feed formula for my pullet chickens, they are at point of lay precisely 19 weeks and i need a formula with the proportions in kilograms that will enhance their productivity and make them produce bigger eggs.