Laying Mash vs. grain

[JakeFlyFish]

I've heard for years that scratch grains and whole grain corn will reduce egg production. Does anyone know for sure if this is true? Thanks to all responders, Jake

[JakeFlyFish]

Bump. Come on, someone out there has to have the skinny on this question! Jake

[Evy]

True...it's an incomplete diet.

[Pathfinders]

I agree with Evy (what a surprise!)

One of the benefits of using a commercial feed that is specific to a given age/condition is that it generally has the correct nutrient balance for the age/condition listed.

Any time you tinker with that, you're throwing the balance of nutrition off. People will sometimes cut layer ration with scratch or corn to reduce their costs, but it's a false savings because as you note, it will generally cause a reduction in eggs laid, among other things.

I suggest just feeding a good quality commercial layer feed to laying hens if you expect them to produce eggs. But that's just me.

[JakeFlyFish]

Thanks much for the answers. I kinda thought so, just wanted to check to see what everyone else found. Jake

[dave27889]

I agree. I was running a little short this month and just bought a bag of scratch to make it to the end of the month. I did mix it with my laying pellets I had left in the barrel.My egg production is down at least a third and that was just in a week. Come pay day I will be buying more laying pellets. The hens also kick out a lot of the cracked corn and eat the grains mostly. I will buy cheaper laying pellets before I do this again. The hens also seem more hungry when I feed them scraps. I threw out some spagetti noodles the other night and you would have thought I had not feed them all day and there was scratch in their feed pans.

[gregrag]

I have always fed grains and corn mixed--my hens have always laid good--sometimes I have an abundance of eggs and end up giving them away or if they sit in the fridge for over 2 weeks boil them and crush em up and feed them back to the flock--they love em. I let mine run on the farm so they also catch insects and pick on grasses and weeds and their seeds. I love the orange colored yolks that result from feeding grains--sorry an egg that is produced on mash looks anemic to me and also lacks that delicious taste.As far as longevity goes I have had hens live 10-12 years--put me in the grain category...

[JakeFlyFish]

Well, I have not noticed a difference in the yellows in my eggs since pulling the grain but the hens do seem to be laying more. This might all be a coincidence with their laying cycle, I don't know. Jake

[Evy]

Pale yolks come from birds that are penned 24 / 7 without access to pasture. The better color comes from carotene from living plants along with a balanced commercial feed.

[goosedragon]

Pale yolks come from birds that are penned 24 / 7 without access to pasture. The better color comes from carotene from living plants along with a balanced commercial feed.

Yep I believe some of the commercial producers add marigold flowers to the feed to get better color in their yolks. That better yolk color and slight differences in taste explain why some people will pay more for "free ranged" eggs over the typical 'factory egg'

[gregrag]

Well all that scientific-biological business aside---the egg yolks are the same beautiful orange color in January & february as they are in June & July Greg