Layer feed

Layer feed is a complete feed formulated specifically for hens that are actively laying eggs, with added calcium to support eggshell formation and protein levels typically around 16 percent, lower than the starter and grower feeds young chicks need to build their bodies. It is meant to be a bird's main diet once laying begins, not a supplement added on top of another feed.

Timing the switch matters. Hens are generally moved onto layer feed once they start laying, usually somewhere between 18 and 20 weeks old depending on breed, since the extra calcium in layer feed can be hard on the kidneys and organs of chicks and young pullets that are not laying yet. Roosters and non-laying birds in a mixed flock generally should not eat layer feed long term for the same reason.

Most keepers pair layer feed with a separate dish of oyster shell offered free choice rather than mixed directly into the feed, since that lets each hen take only as much extra calcium as her own laying rate actually needs. A common mistake is feeding layer feed to a mixed-age flock that still has young chicks or non-laying pullets in it, or skipping oyster shell entirely and seeing thinner eggshells as a result.