commercial brown layers VS australorp black VS light sussex

[Thomas Lamprogiorgos]

A veterinarian told me that the commercial red sex links of big companies (you know what I mean) lay only if they are kept in battery cages with artificial lighting and eat layer pellets. He insists on them being unnatural and genetically modified birds and containing some dangerous information in their DNA.

And when free ranging and not given layer pellets but seeds a heritage breed like the australorp black and the light sussex can overlay the commercial red sex links by far.

He told me that if I keep them free ranging without layer pellets and artificial lighting the australorp black and the sussex light will lay 220-240 eggs and the commercial red sex links will lay only 100-130 eggs!!!

Is it true?

 

[TwinChickens]

I can tell you a chicken is a chicken, and unless they are they have a specific reason not to, they will usually lay about an egg a day. I had a few commercial reds who were actually leftovers from a factory farm who we decided to rescue and they were great layers for several years, and some of the friendliest chickens I've had.

 

[aart]

free ranging without layer pellets and artificial lighting

No bird will lay many eggs without feed.

I think his reasoning is flawed.

 

[Thomas Lamprogiorgos]

He told me that he gives his chicken seeds and the opportunity of free ranging and that the light sussex and the black australorp outlay the commercial brown layers.

 

[TwinChickens]

I think any chicken with free range and nutritious food can produce up to 300 eggs a year, and I have found that commercial reds living with a turken and a silver lace Wyandotte produce roughly the same, although it can be hard to keep track of sometimes XD

 

[aart]

He told me that he gives his chicken seeds and the opportunity of free ranging and that the light sussex and the black australorp outlay the commercial brown layers.

What kind of 'seeds'?
There's a lot of things that affect egg laying, diet can be number one.
I'm betting those 'seeds' are not enough nutrition for the high production birds.

Also, where did he get the birds, did they all start as day old hatchery chicks or....?
How long has he been conducting this experiment?

He's preforming an experiment of sorts, but how he designed and facilitated that experiment could really skew the results.

 

[Frazzemrat1]

Your vet sounds like he has a huge bias. Bad DNA? Only lay in a tiny cage in low light? You realize that you could breed one of those 'commercial battery' hens yourself with the right combination of birds in your flock? Those poor girls would probably lay more in a more natural environment then they do in a battery cage.
Now, besides that... every breed lays their own average of eggs per year, and individuals in that breed lay their own average. And that number can change based upon stress, broodiness, etc. I think that your vet friend is biased away from store eggs, and that's made him biased against the 'evil' that is the bird that produces them.

ETA, and feed can change egg production as well, as others have stated. Seeds sounds suspect to me. Only because I'm sure that as varied as a chicken's diet naturally is, that seeds wouldn't be able to encompass their nutritional needs.

 

[JedJackson]

A veterinarian told me that the commercial red sex links of big companies (you know what I mean) lay only if they are kept in battery cages with artificial lighting and eat layer pellets. He insists on them being unnatural and genetically modified birds and containing some dangerous information in their DNA.

And when free ranging and not given layer pellets but seeds a heritage breed like the australorp black and the light sussex can overlay the commercial red sex links by far.

He told me that if I keep them free ranging without layer pellets and artificial lighting the australorp black and the sussex light will lay 220-240 eggs and the commercial red sex links will lay only 100-130 eggs!!!

Is it true?

He is wrong. Red sex links are great layers for a backyard flock-- they don't need battery cages or artificial light to lay well. They are not genetically modified but they are highly bred for the specific purpose of laying. Just like certain breeds of cows are scientifically bred to be heavy milk producers. It's really just unnatural selection, at most, which happens with all purebred chicken breeds, or dog breeds, etc.

Layer feed is needed for all breeds to lay well, not just sex links. It gives them all they need to be healthy and make eggs. Hens on range fed only grain will lay but not as well as when they have scientifically formulated layer feed. This is because the wild ancestor of chickens, the red jungle fowl, laid only as many eggs as a hen could set on. As such, the wild birds got what they needed for making a small number of eggs by eating whatever they found in their environment. But layer chickens, bred to lay an unnaturally large amount of eggs, more than they could ever set on, need a lot more of the nutrients that will go into egg production to sustain such a high level of productivity.

Basically I'm saying red sex links are as good as any for a personal flock of layers. Their only drawback is that they can have more ailments and disorders of the reproductive system than heritage breeds because they lay so much. But it's a matter of degree. Most sex links are problem free and heritage breeds can and do get the same problems.

 

[Thomas Lamprogiorgos]

I will never trust him again. He is insane. I was just informed that he gave a therapy for sick dogs to a sick chicken of my aunt.

 

[TwinChickens]

Definitely don't take any chickens to him. If you are looking for a new vet for your flock I reccomend finding an avian specialist vet if possible, having that knowledge can be invaluable.