This past spring our local feed mill went out of business, with no fair warning – ughh. Leaving us in a bit of a pickle, to say the least. We went to pick up feed one Saturday morning and found a note on the door stating the property was being foreclosed on. What were we going to do? Of course, we ran to a feed store and grabbed a bit of store-bought feed to get us through. Then we scoured the area looking for another family run feed mill. We were able to locate one and began purchasing through them immediately. The feed looked a bit different than what we used to but the tag pretty much matched up to our old one.
The Dive
As spring turned to summer our girls laying habits took a dive. Thinking maybe molt had kicked in early, we did not really think much of it. That was until our seventy-five girls began laying less than a dozen a day. We began to worry that something may be wrong with our flock. After a lot of research, it seemed most likely that it was the change in food quality. Hmmm, but the ingredients and percentages were almost identical?
Feed Redemption
We decided to conduct a bit of an experiment. So, we purchased some high protein store-bought feed to see if it would make a difference. Wow did it! Within only a week our egg count doubled. Then we decided to take it one step further and add some high protein chick feed to their diet to up the stakes a bit more. Within a week we started seeing four dozen eggs a day! We then added sunflower seeds and scratch into the mix and wow! We had to sell some chickens cause we had way too many eggs.
Conclusion
Now in the middle of winter, our girls are laying like crazy as if their seasons are backwards. While most other chicken keepers are amid a dry spell, ours are laying four to five dozen a day! So, the moral of the story? Not all food is created equal. Not only did they start laying better, but their feathers also look amazing, their combs are bright red again, and their spunk is all back.
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4 Comments
Thank you for this informative article, I’m going to try adding to our girls feed, see if their laying production picks up
good morning, my chickie girls are free range and I bought some scotts weed and feed and hesitate to use it, we have a lot of clover in our pasture and my horse wont’ eat it. just wanting some thoughts on using the weed and feed. thanks
Weed and Seed does contain an herbicide called “mecoprop-p” which is classified as “slightly toxic” (Toxicity Class III) and a systemic herbicide called 2,4-D which kills broadleaf weeds. 2,4-D has a relatively long half-life, so tends to stick around which means that it can also contaminate ground and surface water. Your chickens can ingest the herbicides and it can pass into their eggs. Caution seems warranted here.
Clover is one of the Plants/Cover crops you Want to have in your pasture, Do NOT Get rid of it!!!! Clover is Beneficial for your Pasture it helps to create a better Pasture!! IF you add more clover, add some brassicas, alfalfa, timothy, etc. that will make a great cover crop. The Horses will love the Timothy and Alfalfa, Brassicas help loosen up the soil help to reduce nematode pests and Clover is a Nitrogen Fixer in the soil, reduces weed pressure, protects soil from erosion, and helps supply forage needs. There are other plants/crops that you could add to you pastures to help improve the soil, reduce erosion, provide forage for animals, and in some instances when mowed and/or turned under will act like a green mulch (Clover and others).
Allow your horses to eat what they want then rotate them out, and then send in the chickens. Similar to what several homesteaders do with cows, sheep and chickens or cows and chickens. This type of Rotational crazing helps improve the pastures. One person I follow on YouTube is Justin Rhodes, that is what he does. No need for harsh Herbicides. I would definitely recommend checking out his YouTube channel it is very informative.