How to feed a flock with roosters?

[nuthatched]

How does it not have anything to do with current layer feeds? Early farmers were trying to do the same thing that scientists in the mid 1900’s were then able to narrow down to a science. All modern science is and was built on ideas that started with individuals who noticed a problem. The article is one of the first recorded examples of people trying to maximize their profits by adjusting the feed of their laying hens. When you say “maximize profits by feeding the lowest value feed a bird could still live and lay on” that’s exactly what farmers like the one in the article were attempting to do. Maximize their profits by keeping the chickens alive and laying as much as possible. Is it the exact formulas that are in use today? No of course not, but farmers like the one in the article were just the beginning of what would become today’s poultry and feed industry. The question is then why would we want to feed something that was designed and formulated to provide the bare minimum for our chickens health so profits could be maximized?

I'm not disagreeing with you on any point, (you have seen my posts?) except for that your statement infers that this particular one fella is Head Hauncho of Layer Formula, the original Brain behind Inadequate Feed.
It was not "this particular guy" or any particular guy, so saying "it's because of this particular man, for this particular reason" is both false and unfair to him.
As you said and we both know, it's decades of people fine tuning methods for budget, production and profit.
It's not the theory that I disagree with but the presentation of information, particularly casting all blame on one individual.
I'm sorry, I should have been more specific when I asked for the source for what point I was having trouble with.

 

[Nanook33]

Hello!
I am new to chickens, and I have finally grown my chicks out to about 19 weeks. I have four roosters, 3 I want to keep, and 1 my sister is attached to (He’s mean and I don’t like him).
Anyways, I was wondering how I should feed the roosters? I have 19 chickens total and they are all living in a big chicken tractor coop. (I’ll show pics.) They’ve been on Dumor chick grower feed up until this point. I did some research and was told to feed the Roos the same grower feed because they need more protein, and the hens layer feed. How do I do that with my setup? Any recommendations? I was also told it’s fine to feed Roos later feed so long as I supplement extra protein and/or free range. I have lots of sunflower seeds.
Also, it’s winter here in Ohio, and I don’t think the chickens will lay until spring because we got them late and there’s only 11-12 hours of light rn.
Here’s pics of my setup, any help would be much appreciated!

Hi there..............I'm by no means a professional, however, I can tell you what we do here in NJ. We have 7 girls & 1 roo. We feed the gang 16% laying crumbles with some scratch feed along with (a little) oatmeal, (cooked & warm if it's very cold), greens, black soldier fly larvae, dried mealworms & the "snacks" available at Tractor Supply. All the "extras" (other than the laying crumbles) are in small amounts & not daily. We have never fed "Buddy" the roo anything different than what the girls get & have had no problems. In fact he went through his molt better than the girls as he lost fewer feathers. He DID loose his long tail feather.
The gang is 1 1/2 years old & have continued to lay since they started. We just hope our 1 girl gets some back feathers soon--it's cold out there. Good luck!!!

 

[Coffetym]

Try switching to pellets instead of crumble. You'll find it to be less wasteful.

I totally agree. I found the pellets to be much less wasted. What helped me also was using a 5 gal bucket with the covered ports on the side. If you suspend the bucket where the feeding ports are about 20 inches from the floor it seems to work perfectly. I’ve read that it’s healthier for a chicken to eat standing upright. It’s supposed to be better for their digestion.

 

[igorsMistress]

All flock for everyone and oyster shell available at all times. This way it doesn’t matter who eats from the dish, everyone gets what they need.

 

[U_Stormcrow]

Good Morning @BlueMeadow364 , you don't know me, but I comment frequently of the feed forums here.

Like those above, for most people, in most situations, I'm going to recommend an "All Flock"-type formulation for all of your birds, at all times, regardless of gender, age, or laying/molting status. Plus good clean water, free choice gritand a free choice calcium source (oyster shell, most frequently here in the US).

Why not layer?

Yes, this question comes up a lot, which is why I now link to old posts instead of cutting and pasting.

Please forgive spelling/grammar. This isn't my day job, I post with much less care here.

Happy holidays, and every fortune on your chicken-keeping journey.