⠀ Food question

I have 2 groups of chickens (a group that is 8 weeks old to 1 years old and a group of two day olds) and 2 groups of ducks (a group of 8 week olds to 1 years old and a group of 3 week olds to 2 day olds)

Right now the groups of 8 week olds to 1 year olds (chicken and duck) are on starter/grower feed (the laying birds get oyster shells) but when it's time to move in the younger groups with the older groups they will be on different feed (older group on grower/finisher, younger group on starter/grower) do I feed Flock raiser?
When the groups go together the younger group will probably be roughly around 6 weeks old

Also, Can drakes and roosters eat Purina Layena ?

I can't list specific feeds, but I can help with nutrition amounts!

Older chickens and ducks should not be on grower if they are laying eggs or breeding. They should be on layer feed, due to the need for increased calcium for your egg production. Oyster shell is caused by lack of calcium.The younger groups will most likely need grower if they are not laying yet, but All Flock would work for them alone. Drakes and roosters can be fed on any food that meets their protein requirements.

pomnovice said:

I can't list specific feeds, but I can help with nutrition amounts!

Older chickens and ducks should not be on grower if they are laying eggs or breeding. They should be on layer feed, due to the need for increased calcium for your egg production. Oyster shell is caused by lack of calcium.The younger groups will most likely need grower if they are not laying yet, but All Flock would work for them alone. Drakes and roosters can be fed on any food that meets their protein requirements.

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I see people with flocks that have big age differences, what do they use then? Im confused. My laying duck has been laying good eggs over the two weeks she's been on starter/grower, same with the chickens.

Am i supposed to keep them separate until the younger ones hit 18 weeks?

PearlTheDuck said:

I see people with flocks that have big age differences, what do they use then? Im confused. My laying duck has been laying good eggs over the two weeks she's been on starter/grower, same with the chickens.

Am i supposed to keep them separate until the younger ones hit 18 weeks?

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I have age differences as large as one month in my flock as well. I personally offer both types of feed in my mixed pen, and they seem to have been doing well in that system. I'm just recommending that you give your older groups layer, to better your yield.

PearlTheDuck said:

I see people with flocks that have big age differences, what do they use then? Im confused. My laying duck has been laying good eggs over the two weeks she's been on starter/grower, same with the chickens.

Am i supposed to keep them separate until the younger ones hit 18 weeks?

Click to expand...

As one who has constant varied ages in my main flocks of chickens and ducks, what we tend to do is very simple... feed Flock Raiser and offer oyster shell on the side for the active layers... *most* laying birds will regulate their own calcium needs and intake if allowed free access to a calcium supply... this keeps any younglings on proper feed and without the extra calcium they don't need... also, I prefer Flock Raiser since it's formulated with higher Niacin content adequate for ducklings and it can be fed from hatch to lay without having to worry about switching feeds, multiple feed stations, etc... occasionally, there are ones that don't take advantage of the oyster shell, but that's not really common... if you start getting soft shells, that will tell you someone might not be getting enough calcium, an occasion soft shell could happen for other reasons, but any back to back ones will tell you there's an issue to address...

And contrary to popular belief, layer only contains the bare minimum of extra calcium active layers need... and many still need extra on the side to meet their needs...

RavynFallen said:

As one who has constant varied ages in my main flocks of chickens and ducks, what we tend to do is very simple... feed Flock Raiser and offer oyster shell on the side for the active layers... *most* laying birds will regulate their own calcium needs and intake if allowed free access to a calcium supply... this keeps any younglings on proper feed and without the extra calcium they don't need... also, I prefer Flock Raiser since it's formulated with higher Niacin content adequate for ducklings and it can be fed from hatch to lay without having to worry about switching feeds, multiple feed stations, etc... occasionally, there are ones that don't take advantage of the oyster shell, but that's not really common... if you start getting soft shells, that will tell you someone might not be getting enough calcium, an occasion soft shell could happen for other reasons, but any back to back ones will tell you there's an issue to address...

And contrary to popular belief, layer only contains the bare minimum of extra calcium active layers need... and many still need extra on the side to meet their needs...

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This is what I do as well I don't offer layer feed at all when I have birds in a flock that are still growing and aren't laying yet, because the extra calcium in that feed can damage their kidneys and actually eventually cause kidney failure. Plus, if the growing ones eat layer and not the feed that has the extra protein that they need to grow, they will also not be getting enough protein to promote proper growth.

Oyster shell on the side lets the adults take what they need and keeps everyone healthy.

PearlTheDuck said:

I have 2 groups of chickens (a group that is 8 weeks old to 1 years old and a group of two day olds) and 2 groups of ducks (a group of 8 week olds to 1 years old and a group of 3 week olds to 2 day olds)

Right now the groups of 8 week olds to 1 year olds (chicken and duck) are on starter/grower feed (the laying birds get oyster shells) but when it's time to move in the younger groups with the older groups they will be on different feed (older group on grower/finisher, younger group on starter/grower) do I feed Flock raiser?
When the groups go together the younger group will probably be roughly around 6 weeks old

Also, Can drakes and roosters eat Purina Layena ?

Click to expand...

Great question, PearlTheDuck! It is important that they be fed a complete and balanced diet to meet all of your birds’ nutritional requirements. Since you have a mixed flock, we would recommend feeding Flock Raiser, which should allow adequate protein levels for both your chickens and your ducks. If your hens are laying, I’d make sure to supplement the diet with oyster shell to support shell integrity. If the ducks are also laying, then Layena is a good choice for all.

It’s not ideal for the rooster to eat layer feed – the calcium is much higher than what he need, but if he tends to eat “his” feed most of the time, then it is not likely to be an issue. This is a common problem when you house roosters and hens together. One solution would be to place the rooster's feed higher up where only he can reach it. They have different nutrient requirements but it is difficult to reason with them and to convince them to only eat their feed. As long as he spends the majority of his time eating his own feed, we wouldn’t be too concerned.

Purina said:

Great question, PearlTheDuck! It is important that they be fed a complete and balanced diet to meet all of your birds’ nutritional requirements. Since you have a mixed flock, we would recommend feeding Flock Raiser, which should allow adequate protein levels for both your chickens and your ducks. If your hens are laying, I’d make sure to supplement the diet with oyster shell to support shell integrity. If the ducks are also laying, then Layena is a good choice for all.

It’s not ideal for the rooster to eat layer feed – the calcium is much higher than what he need, but if he tends to eat “his” feed most of the time, then it is not likely to be an issue. This is a common problem when you house roosters and hens together. One solution would be to place the rooster's feed higher up where only he can reach it. They have different nutrient requirements but it is difficult to reason with them and to convince them to only eat their feed. As long as he spends the majority of his time eating his own feed, we wouldn’t be too concerned.

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Thanks so much! I bought Flock Raiser a few days ago and everyone is happy