Re: Switching from growers to layers

"Krys Francis" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote in message
news:[EMAIL PROTECTED]
> In message <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>, Jill
> <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> writes
> I'm curious about this. I'm not particularly knowledgeable about poultry
> nutrition but many of the long time breeders who can't obtain breeder
> pellets say that they use growers (without coccidiostats) plus offer
> calcified seaweed & grit. I realise that Speckledies aren't going to be
> breeders but I had the impression that the most important differences
> were higher vitamins & protein in grower, higher calcium & minerals in
> layers.
> Come on then give us an in depth lesson in poultry nutrition:-))
:~))
no indepth lesson - I don't have time just now to find the references I have
read about the various nutritional differences and uses of the two
but there is just simplicity  ----
Layers ration is formulated to be optimum for laying hens - both those
coming into lay and while laying and most especially those that are
commercially bred. Growers is to optimize the stage before that
I would guess there is a dovetailing of the needs of the commercial bird and
the breeding of commercial types to the feeds available - feed optimization
is one of the most critical guides in the development of the commercial
hybrids.

As you say breeders can have different requirements - you are working on
fertility and eggs as young chick potential.
Often the birds will be older - well certainly in older times no self
respecting breeder bred from pullets to produce good breeding pullets. [a
major reason was that you knew too little about their abilities]
So their requirements are different
- in old days it would not be so much growers pellets but meat and bone meal
and other such additives they still had the use of [but that is going back
to the hey days - 1920-30's]

The feed manufacturers - in the main - spend a lot of time and money on
optimising the rations for the different stages
If growers was designed for commercial layers - it would be called layers
not growers

Hence why I answered for the situation presented

- an owner of commercial hybrids kept for laying moving from the growers
stage into the layers stage


--
regards
Jill Bowis
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