Calcium: Mixed Flocks vs. Mixed Feeds

By Leigh

As chicken keepers, many of us worry if our flock is getting enough of the necessary minerals, vitamins and nutrients. Modern, pre-mixed feeds tend to lessen that concern for many, yet if you have a mixed flock, these premixed feeds may present another danger.

For those that have a flock comprised only of laying hens, Layer Feed may work just perfectly. For those who have roosters and younger birds that are not yet laying mixed in with laying hens, premixed Layer Feed may not be the best thing for your whole flock.

The reason behind this conundrum is the calcium content of commercial Layer Feeds.

The calcium content in chick starter / grower feeds and general flock feeds usually falls between 0.5% and 1.5%.

The average calcium content of Layer Feed ranges from 3.25% to 4.8%. If a bird is laying regularly, these calcium levels are fine as the calcium is used to create the shell of the egg… but for any bird that is not laying, these levels may be too high, and might actually cause harm to some birds.

If a chicken is not laying and using excess calcium to produce egg shell, the kidney must filter out the excess calcium. Over time this can cause kidney failure.

Too much calcium, or Hypercalcaemia, can also result in calcification of the soft tissues and organs (including the liver and heart), pancreatitis, egg binding, dry skin, appetite loss, lethargy, confusion, depression, slowed growth in pullets and cockerels, dehydration, diarrhea or constipation,and even death.

So how do you feed a mixed flock of chickens without causing calcium deficiencies in laying hens, yet not overdosing young birds and roosters?

Many long-time chicken keepers who use commercial feed use “Grower” or “Flock Raiser” products designed for non-laying birds aged 10 to 18 weeks, and then offer free-choice oyster shell. Chickens won’t overdose themselves on calcium when it is fed free-choice. You will almost never see a rooster picking through oyster shell unless he just saw a bug jump into the dish.

It should also be noted that vitamin D3 is absolutely essential to the proper absorption of calcium. Most living critters obtain the bulk of their D3 through sunlight – so make sure your flock is getting plenty of rays! Not enough sun can cause laying hens to be unable to absorb the calcium in their diet. This can be just as dangerous to laying hens as too much calcium in the food would be to non-laying birds.

I will also note that other long-time chicken keepers report no ill effects from feeding layer feed to their entire flocks for many years.

Every bird is different and every breed of chicken is different. Some may be more sensitive to higher calcium levels, and others may be just fine with it. Those that get tons of natural sunlight may properly absorb much higher levels of calcium than those that stay inside for long periods.

My personal philosophy is that if I can do something that may help avoid long-term health issues in my flock without additional expense, it’s worth doing. I have always offered free choice oyster shell anyway, so switching feeds to the lower calcium feed made sense in my case. You be the judge and do what will be best for you and your flock.

Cheers

Leigh

And special congratulations to the winner of the Nest Box Blend Giveaway: Marianne Cowan. Please email us at shabbychicken@hotmail.com, Marianne!

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Why Do Hens Become Egg Bound?

Dear Bee –

I’ve heard of a lot of folks dealing with egg-bound hens.

Thoughts about what causes this?
 

Bee’s Answer:

In my opinion?  Too much fat around the vent area.  Too old hens that are ovulating and producing eggs abnormally.   Take a look at this diagram and see what a buildup of fat tissue around the vent area would look like and just what it would block and pinch in the way of reproduction.  Same thing happens with sheep as they tend to store fat internally instead of underneath the skin.  If they gain too much fat around the uterus, they have problems with lambing.  It narrows and blocks the area around the cervix and vagina. 

When I would butcher a cull Buff Orpingon hen, I'd find a huge amount of fat around the vent area.... more so than any other bird I'd ever butchered ~ even more than meaty breeds.  These birds were never good layers and would have problems such as thin shells, no shells, soft shells, and irregular laying patterns (abnormal ovulation).  As many folks know, this happens in women who are overweight as well.... abnormal ovulation, excessive bleeding, ovarian cysts. 

(Right from the outset you can see the problems this hen would have had laying an egg... she had thick fat layers completely around her vent area, bottom and top.)

I've never had what I considered an egg bound hen ~ probably because I cull them for certain traits.  But with the rise in city and backyard flocks you see folks buying BOs and other pet quality chickens that are docile, get very little exercise and eat quite a bit... and then this is compounded by people feeding "treats" such as cooked rice, cooked anything, wild bird seed, BOSS (black oil sunflower seeds), etc. as a daily ration. 

They are also keeping these birds past the age of regular laying and into the age where they are starting to have irregular ovulation.  This leads to trouble in normal egg production...all the parts are wearing out, misfiring, etc.  They don't cull as soon as these problems arise and pretty soon they have a hen that is egg bound due to ovarian cysts, internal laying, peritonitis from broken shells, etc. 

When excess fat develops around the cloaca, you will see it completely aroundthe cloaca, not just underneath it.  This fat is pressing against where the eggs need to come into the cloaca.

Dear Bee,

So that "begs the question"...  How do you keep hens from getting fat?  I was of the mind that a good, healthy bird would eat only what they needed.  We talk about putting out enough that they finish it and learning from that what amount to put out.  If they will overeat, how can we regulate that?

Or... is it just certain breeds that have that issue?

Bee’s Answer:

Certain breeds are more prone to it.  You can also make sure they get adequate exercise with free ranging in electric netting paddocks.  You can make them work for their feed by foraging and then only feed them in the evening, feed them portions instead of free choice and feed them a normal percentage of protein and fats in their diets.  Treat laden diets and chickens that only get to get out of the run in the evening to walk around the yard are going to be just like kids that eat a lot of snacks and only do exercise in gym class. 

A good healthy bird is, also, often an opportunistic eater, so if their only opportunity for activity in a coop and run is to walk around the run, dust a little in the corner, lay an egg or eat, which do you think they will do the most of?  They will eat, as it fulfills their need to forage, hunt and peck. 

You can regulate that by watching your birds and seeing which hen is the first at feeder each day and if she is still there when that last of the feeder is being cleaned up - this is a bird that is not very feed thrifty.  Most birds will eat their fill and go back out to forage or groom.... a few hoggy breeds or birds in the flock are still browsing the feeder.  Watch those birds.

You can find out a lot about your birds if you watch them with intent... not just with pleasure at their antics but with an eye towards their feed habits, their activity levels, their interaction within the flock, their social abilities in regards to flocking, foraging, evading predators, etc.  

All of these things are taken into account when I determine who to cull from my flock... not just laying, health and disposition.  I want to shape my flock for harmony, hardiness, economy and laying efficacy.  In other words, a flock that requires very little input from me to survive, thrive and fulfill their purpose. 

Bee -

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