What is the best Layer feed?

You've probably wondered, what is the best layer feed? You also may have wondered if there is any real difference between the major feed brands?

Most layer feeds are very similar to each other however when i was producing eggs at scale i found a lot of success with higher protein feeds which seemed to give the hens a bit of a boost especially during molting. 

So, what feed should I use for my hens?

If you just have backyard birds it might be worth just using a standard pellet like a Golden yolk or Lucky Layer for your birds considering most poultry feeds have been professionally formulated they should be adequate for your birds.

But if you would like to feed your birds a superior pellet I was recently recommended Laucke Mills show bird breeder which has a 17% protein content and contains many vitamins and minerals critical to egg production and breeding.

However!

If you notice any deficiencies in your birds (particularly yolk colour), experimenting with other feeds would be beneficial.

For the pro's

If you are a professional breeder or egg producer there are a number of things you can do to improve the quality of the feed you are giving your birds.

1. Supplement! Supplement! Supplement!

Many poultry keeping books call for the supply of greens for your birds if they cannot forage themselves. Other people may supplement any deficiencies their hens have manually by having separate mineral feeders for their birds or other substances important to egg production such as protein via bone or meat meal which has a high protein content. 

2. Presoak feed.

Some poultry keepers will presoak their grain overnight in order to help release nutrients which otherwise may not get absorbed by the hen. 

3. Only use organic feeds.

Due to the large quantity of chemicals, preservatives and cleaning agents in the modern day manufacturing process many poultry keepers now prefer an all organic feed for their birds. While it is likely most of these chemicals are harmless their is a chance some may have negative impacts on the birds and or the end consumer. The idea is to keep chemicals out of food production, this makes the feed much more expensive however the price of a dozen organic eggs is $10 and above.

Further sources of information

How to soak chicken feed image to the right below(click its linked;)

Ultimately

No matter the feed you choose your birds are likely to be happy regardless. Just remember a few hundred years ago most birds were free range and fed whatever was cheap.