My neighbor's Rhode Island Red just started laying again after a full molt and it made me rethink my feed.

I always switched to a cheap layer pellet when they stopped, but she said she kept hers on the high-protein grower feed for the extra 8 weeks. Has anyone else tried that and seen better feather regrowth?

3 comments

3 Comments

felix_jones2mo ago

My flock of six Barred Rocks just finished their molt last month. I kept them on the 20% protein grower feed for an extra six weeks like your neighbor did, and the new feathers came in so much thicker and shinier. I used to switch them right away too, but the feathers looked ratty. Now I won't go back to the cheap stuff during a molt, the difference is huge. Their eggshells even seem stronger now that they're laying again.

scott.mia2mo ago

Honestly, that makes so much sense. I feel a bit silly for never connecting those dots before, like I was giving them cheap gas and expecting a sports car performance. I just switched my girls back to layer feed the second I saw a new feather, worried about too much protein. Guess I was worrying about the wrong thing. Going to try the grower feed trick next molt for sure.

james6721mo ago

Yeah, the protein thing is key, but I mean, you gotta be careful with that grower feed long term. It doesn't have the extra calcium that layer feed does. So if you keep them on it for too many weeks after they start laying again, you might end up with thinner shells or even soft eggs. I switched back to layer feed as soon as mine were done with the heavy feather growing, just to be safe. The better feathers are great, but you don't want to trade one problem for another.