Starter or All Flock would be better than grower, but there will be NO ZERO ZILCH NONE visible impact on your birds if you are forced by necessity to offer layer to 9 week old birds for a few days.
and in terms of advancing my project, unless the bird in front shows some pattern in the next few weeks, its going to freezer camp. I have anotheer whose pattern is black, not brown. Freezer Camp.
The others are varying degrees of "possibly", depending largely on gender. I have eyes on a...
I believe you. I was just curious as to which products you were comparing. I can't think of any really unusual aspects of your geography that would result in a mill not being cheaper than a chain store. In any event, those seem to me to be very good prices. I just picked up feed at my local...
that is QUITE unusual. Where in the world are you located, and are the feeds you are comparing in the same market segment???? I'm vary curious as to the markket forces that would result in such a disparity.
@aart was part of my welcome to BYC. As soon as I saw her helpful, "no bones about it" responses, I knew this was where I wanted to be to learn. She leaves a legacy of better chicken keepers (and better chicken coops!!) eternally grateful.
Sustained boosting of protein normally results in minimal increase in production - 1-2%. With the size of OP's flock, and the time measured (a couple weeks), such a small change would disappear in statistical noise. As this experiment makes clear, protein alone does not a successful egg make...
Letting the birds eat them (they don't), adding to the polyculture (look, I spelled it!!), and looking pretty. There is also lemon grass, chard, turmeric, parsley and basil in that photo.
My acres of weeds are getting tall too - taller than the chickens, the ducks, and as tall as the shortest goats. As soons as they grasses drop more seeds, I'm taking the flail mower to it, knocking it down to 6" or so. Its 15-18" right now, 20" in places.
Goats ate my attempts to sprout 50#...
I do, next to my scallions. Haven't done much gardening of late, we've had inches and inches and inches of water from the sky. If things aren't rotted, and not eaten by the hornworms (all my tomatoes), they are being overgrown by weeds so tall I can't even see the asparagus plantings!
[Yes...
As others have said, assuming you aren't adding salt, yes, no anticipated health issues. Stock is mostly water, gelatinized proteins, fat, and minerals. Potentially, you could have a slight increase in calcium, but it should be buffered by the increase in potassium. Unless you then cook it...