Now, it's a given that if you ask anyone who keeps chickens about what to feed them, you're likely to get a number of different answers of varying correctness.
When I got my pullets, which I were told were 2-1/2 months old (I know now they were no where near that old when I bought them), I went to my local feed shop. Told him I was getting 5 pullets and that they would not be laying for another 4-6 weeks (I know now it won't be until September-ish, except for the EE who's about to lay in the next month, but she's another story). Anyway, asked what I needed to buy, and he sold me a 50-pound sack of layer crumbles with the oyster shell already included.
So I came home and commenced to feeding my little flock. They liked the food & did well, but I found out from reading this site that they really need to be on flock raiser until we start seeing eggs. So, I sent hubby out to another feed store, this time one very close to my house, and asked for a bag of flock raiser. He was given some food, brought it home, and the girls eat it but had not been as rigorous and seemed kinda... I dunno, lazy/sluggish. I thought it was related to the heat that finally showed up here in the valley, but then I find out that the feed store sold my husband something called "meat builder", which is basically for meat birds, and told him it's the exact same thing as flock raiser.
Now, I know people who raise meat birds, and I know it's NOT the same thing! I've also seen their birds... they lay around and are sluggish, kinda the way my girls were acting the last week.
So today, we go back to this same feed store, and I ask for flock raiser... they direct me again to the meat builder. I said, "That's for meat chickens. I have pullets but they won't lay for another 2 months, so I need flock raiser." Again, dork boy tried to tell me that flock raiser and meat builder are the same.
Is it the same?
I ended up buying a product they called "layena crumble". It is layer food without the oyster shell or sunflower seeds. I supplement their diet withi TONS of protein, lots of fresh/live foods (worms, flies, bugs, dinner/food leftovers, etc.), so I think their protein needs are being met. I mean, these chickens get live worms almost every day! And they are constantly getting bugs.
I am not going back to the feed store again. I may very well be sitting here on 50 pounds of chicken feed that isn't appropriate for my birds because no matter what feed store I go to (I've been to 3 all total now), I get told something different every time.
Are flock raiser and meat builder the same? Do you think feeding my birds the meat builder is why they were acting sluggish/lazy?
When I got my pullets, which I were told were 2-1/2 months old (I know now they were no where near that old when I bought them), I went to my local feed shop. Told him I was getting 5 pullets and that they would not be laying for another 4-6 weeks (I know now it won't be until September-ish, except for the EE who's about to lay in the next month, but she's another story). Anyway, asked what I needed to buy, and he sold me a 50-pound sack of layer crumbles with the oyster shell already included.
So I came home and commenced to feeding my little flock. They liked the food & did well, but I found out from reading this site that they really need to be on flock raiser until we start seeing eggs. So, I sent hubby out to another feed store, this time one very close to my house, and asked for a bag of flock raiser. He was given some food, brought it home, and the girls eat it but had not been as rigorous and seemed kinda... I dunno, lazy/sluggish. I thought it was related to the heat that finally showed up here in the valley, but then I find out that the feed store sold my husband something called "meat builder", which is basically for meat birds, and told him it's the exact same thing as flock raiser.
Now, I know people who raise meat birds, and I know it's NOT the same thing! I've also seen their birds... they lay around and are sluggish, kinda the way my girls were acting the last week.
So today, we go back to this same feed store, and I ask for flock raiser... they direct me again to the meat builder. I said, "That's for meat chickens. I have pullets but they won't lay for another 2 months, so I need flock raiser." Again, dork boy tried to tell me that flock raiser and meat builder are the same.
Is it the same?
I ended up buying a product they called "layena crumble". It is layer food without the oyster shell or sunflower seeds. I supplement their diet withi TONS of protein, lots of fresh/live foods (worms, flies, bugs, dinner/food leftovers, etc.), so I think their protein needs are being met. I mean, these chickens get live worms almost every day! And they are constantly getting bugs.
I am not going back to the feed store again. I may very well be sitting here on 50 pounds of chicken feed that isn't appropriate for my birds because no matter what feed store I go to (I've been to 3 all total now), I get told something different every time.
Are flock raiser and meat builder the same? Do you think feeding my birds the meat builder is why they were acting sluggish/lazy?
