Starter feed that provides all the protein and essential vitamins and minerals for laying hens to grow into strong layers. With prebiotics and probiotics for digestive health and optimal levels of Vitamin E to support immune function.
Our layer feed offers all 38 essential nutrients required by laying hens to produce delicious and nutritious eggs. Available as both pellets and crumbles with equal nutritional content – choose what best fits into your feeding method to reduce feed waste.
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Flock Strong(r) Feeding Program
The Flock Strong(r) Feeding Program helps you map your poultry’s nutritional needs throughout their lives. Our complete chicken feeds are specifically formulated for each stage, from chick starter to molting; every formulation provides all 38 essential nutrients necessary in balanced quantities for healthy birds.
Start your backyard flock off right by feeding our complete chick starter feeds like Start & Grow(r) or Super Chick(r). Our medicated chick starter feeds deliver all the energy for proper growth; 18 percent protein for healthy muscle development; as well as vitamins and minerals essential for feathered feather development and immunity.
As soon as your chicks are ready to lay eggs, transition them to a complete Purina(r) layer feed around week 18. Layer feeds provide all the essential nutrients required for strong eggshell formation – including high levels of calcium. Too little calcium could lead to bone-chilling consequences and weak shells. Purina’s Oyster Strong(r) System ensures optimal egg strength by providing just the right balance of small-particle and large-particle calcium particles in each feed for maximum egg strength.
Start & Grow(r) Chick Starter Feeds
Chick starter feed contains higher levels of protein than layer feed and is designed to meet the high energy demands of growing chicks. Many chicken keepers wonder whether to choose medicated or non-medicated starter feed, which are both options that should be explored when choosing starter food for their chicks.
Dependent upon their size and diet needs, your chicks may require changes to their feeding routine in order to consume more of the starter ration. Treats like meal worms and scrambled eggs may help provide added nutrition in their starter diet so they can grow and mature properly.
While poultry pellets and crumbles don’t require the addition of grit to aid digestion, treats and grains that contain fiber can benefit from adding grit as part of their mix. In general, chickens require grit to properly chew up and digest fibrous foods, so their gizzards can properly process and digest them. Physical form also plays a key role in early chick growth – one 42-day experiment revealed that feeding Cobb 500 male broilers a crumble diet within 7-21 days posthatch resulted in greater bird growth as well as better FCR results compared with feeding them mashes at this same point in time point.
Layer Feeds
As chicks develop into pullets and eventually adult laying chickens, their nutritional needs shift accordingly. Hens require special feed that promotes egg laying; this is called layer feed and it contains an optimal blend of proteins, calcium, and other vital nutrients that support optimal egg laying performance for your flock.
Layer feed can come in the form of mash, pellets or crumbles and usually contains 16-18% protein and extra calcium for strong egg shells. Without sufficient calcium intake in their diets, chickens could experience permanent kidney damage that will negatively impact egg production as well as reduce longevity and shorten lifespans significantly.
As soon as your chickens start laying eggs, or 18 weeks old whichever comes first, the transition should start from grower food to layer food. Choose a feed formulated using Purina(r) Oyster Strong(r) System so they can lay their best!
Molting Feeds
As days grow shorter in autumn, backyard chickens know it is time for them to shed their old feathers and focus on renewing their plumage with new growth. At this stage of development, it’s essential that chickens receive high protein feed so that their feathers can flourish fully.
Chickens need proteins in order to produce keratin, the primary constituent of their feathers. When they begin the molting period, it’s best to switch from low-protein sources like scratch grains and treats to commercial molting feed that offers 17-18% daily protein and amino acids for maximum feather production.
A good molting feed should also contain calcium for bone health. An easy and quick way to add extra calcium into your flock’s diet is mixing in unmedicated chick starter feed (16%-22% protein content compared with 18-20% in layer feed), providing extra protein without restricting their egg production.
