Have your spring chicks begun to lay eggs?
It’s almost Fall which means the big event is about to happen if it hasn’t already.
Have you heard about this thing called, “layer feed”?
Chicken layer feed is a mixture that helps chickens grow strong and healthy. It offers them a balanced mix of nutrients, vitamins, and minerals. It’s feed specifically designed for laying hens, and has healthy amounts of protein and calcium. Your hens need a lot of both in order to lay healthy eggs!
So, how can you support this transition and help them live their best lives as laying hens? And if you’re asking yourself the question, “Why should I transition my chickens to layer feed and how/when?” Read on!
Why You Should Transition To Layer Feed
As your birds mature from fuzzy chicks into fully feathered adults, their nutritional needs obviously change. The chick starter/grower they were eating now needs to be replaced with layer ration.
Layer feeds have become a single stop for your egg-laying hens. They are easy to mix, contain a good balance of ingredients, and help your flock produce the “butt nuggets” we all know and love. By transitioning to a layer feed and looking after the eating habits of your chickens, you are improving the quality of your own food: EGGS!
What to Look for in a Layer Feed
Laying hens will eat about a quarter pound of feed each day. Free-ranging hens need less than this, as they will be foraging for much of their own feed. Despite their foraging, they will still need a significant amount of layer feed to help maintain a proper nutritional balance.
A feed with 16-18% protein is best, with the right nutrients for your chickens to remain healthy. A layer feed isn’t the same as a chick starter, which is formulated for baby chickens.
As you may have gathered, chickens need feed that supports egg production. Hens put lots of nutrients into eggs, and the vitamins and minerals that form the shell and its contents come from the hen’s diet. In addition, minerals like calcium, magnesium, and phosphorus are important for powering muscles to lay the egg. Adult laying hens also need higher levels of Vitamin D3 to support calcium absorption.
How & When To Switch To Layer Feed
A common question we get is about how to switch to a layer feed from a chick starter. For the first part of your chickens’ lives, they should be on starter and grower feeds. Then once they begin laying, you should switch them to a layer feed. It’s easiest to switch gradually over the course of a week. A sudden switch could lead to diarrhea and other gastric problems.
In their first months of life, chicks’ bodies experience a lot of changes. They need a feed focused on muscle and skeletal growth. Because chicks develop so quickly, their feed requires higher protein, more amino acids, and higher phosphorus levels to support growth. Giving chicks layer ration too soon can cause kidney or liver damage and growth problems.
Most chicken breeds start laying between 20 and 24 weeks of age. It’s important to start providing your hens with a quality layer feed before they begin laying. To prime your hen’s bodies for producing great eggs in the healthiest way possible, you should begin the switch to layer ration at around 16 weeks.
Looking to learn more? We share our Steps To Successfully Transition To Chicken Layer Feeds in another blog post. Click here to read now.
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