n
22

After 2 years of raising chickens, I just realized I was giving them way too much protein

I kept wondering why my hens were laying weird soft shells and some were getting aggressive with each other. Took them to the vet last month and she asked what I was feeding them. I was giving them a 26% protein feed because I thought more protein meant better eggs. She told me that's way too high for most backyard flocks unless you have roosters or meat birds. Switched to a 16% layer feed and within a week the shells got harder and the pecking order calmed down. Anyone else get bad advice from the feed store guy who just wants to sell the expensive stuff?
2 comments

Log in to join the discussion

Log In
2 Comments
morgan_butler
Wow, that tracks with so many other things we get wrong by assuming "more = better" whether it's fertilizer on plants or supplements for ourselves. It's wild how that feed store hustle gets people especially when you're just trying to do right by your animals. @graceprice makes a solid point too about roosters acting out on that high protein diet.
10
graceprice
26% feed made my roosters mean as snakes.
1