BackYard Chickens › BYC Forum › Raising BackYard Chickens › Chicken Behaviors and Egglaying › Difference between Chick Starter crumbles and Egg Layer crumbles both non medicated
New Posts  All Forums:Forum Nav:

Difference between Chick Starter crumbles and Egg Layer crumbles both non medicated

post #1 of 3
4/12/12 at 2:53pm
Thread Starter 

Ok here's a question for you...I'm new to chickens and baby ducks.   We've got 7 Chickens that I'm feeding Egg layer crumbles to (as well as cracked corn)...the chickens are all adults.   And I've got 5----2 week old Baby Saxony Ducks that I'm feeding Chick Starter Crumbles.  They're all in the same coop.  I've been keeping the baby ducks seperate (in a rabbit cage in the same coop as the chickens).  Last night I let them out for a bit so they could wander around the coop.   All of the chickens were very good with them and didn't bother them at all.  I put them back into their rabbit cage at night because I wanted to make sure they would be safe during the night.

 

 

 

 

What's the difference between the chick starter and the egg layer?   Does the chick starter have different nutrients in it?  Do I need to make sure the ducks ONLY get the chick starter and none of the egg layer?

 

 

 

Mama to 3 Saxony ducks (hatched 3-26-2012), 1  White Crested Duck (hatched 4-12-2012) and a bunch of Chicken.  As well as 2 goldfish, several Guppies,  2 dogs-Kneesa & Sydney (Shih tzu's), 1 Cat-Lilypad (Siamese/Ragdoll Cross),

Reply

Mama to 3 Saxony ducks (hatched 3-26-2012), 1  White Crested Duck (hatched 4-12-2012) and a bunch of Chicken.  As well as 2 goldfish, several Guppies,  2 dogs-Kneesa & Sydney (Shih tzu's), 1 Cat-Lilypad (Siamese/Ragdoll Cross),

Reply
post #2 of 3
4/12/12 at 3:55pm
The layer crumbles have calcium in them, so you're hens can have nice strong shells. Calcium isn't good for a developing baby birds body, though a little wont hurt them. I've never had any ducks, but I've had geese, and I've always fed them gamebird or waterfowl crumbles. Waterfowl require niacin, and if they aren't getting it they can develop leg problems. So, to answer the question- no, a little bit of the layer feed isn't going to hurt the ducklings. But they shouldn't be fed a diet of nothing but layer feed. Good luck!
Nikki
*C'mon, get flappy!*
Reply
Nikki
*C'mon, get flappy!*
Reply
post #3 of 3
4/12/12 at 7:56pm
Thread Starter 

oh okay that makes sense.  I've got the baby ducks out of the rabbit cage now that I know the chickens get along with them.  They've been eating some grass, rabbit hay/straw, and moss and LOVING the freedom of being able to roam around.  They're so dang cute!!!!  I'm watching them very closely so nothing happens to them. 

Mama to 3 Saxony ducks (hatched 3-26-2012), 1  White Crested Duck (hatched 4-12-2012) and a bunch of Chicken.  As well as 2 goldfish, several Guppies,  2 dogs-Kneesa & Sydney (Shih tzu's), 1 Cat-Lilypad (Siamese/Ragdoll Cross),

Reply

Mama to 3 Saxony ducks (hatched 3-26-2012), 1  White Crested Duck (hatched 4-12-2012) and a bunch of Chicken.  As well as 2 goldfish, several Guppies,  2 dogs-Kneesa & Sydney (Shih tzu's), 1 Cat-Lilypad (Siamese/Ragdoll Cross),

Reply
New Posts  All Forums:Forum Nav:
  Return Home
  Back to Forum: Chicken Behaviors and Egglaying
BackYard Chickens › BYC Forum › Raising BackYard Chickens › Chicken Behaviors and Egglaying › Difference between Chick Starter crumbles and Egg Layer crumbles both non medicated