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giving hens feed for Chicks?

Poll Results: What would happen if you fed laying hens chick feed?

Poll expired: Aug 31, 2012 This is a multiple choice poll
  • 0% (0)
    Stop laying eggs
  • 14% (1)
    produce smaller eggs
  • 0% (0)
    produce eggs without shells
  • 42% (3)
    Not produce on a regular basis
  • 0% (0)
    produce eggs without the shell
  • 42% (3)
    Other
7 Total Votes  
post #1 of 18
7/19/12 at 3:42pm
Thread Starter 

What will happen if you feed hens (Laying) chick feed instead?? idunno.gif

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post #2 of 18
7/19/12 at 3:48pm

If you provide them with oyster shell, nothing.  Or, some other kind of calcium supplement.

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All things bright and beautiful, all creatures great and small, and all things wise and wonderful, the Lord God Made them all
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post #3 of 18
7/19/12 at 3:50pm
Thread Starter 

Hmm, okay :)

I am wondering because I originally bought a bag of poultry starter because I was going to get some ducklings.. But it didn't work out. Now I have some pullets and 2 hens. But I only get 1 nice egg every 2 days and in between I get a egg without a shell.

They have oyster shells too so I am not sure what is wrong? :(

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post #4 of 18
7/19/12 at 3:55pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by leadwolf1 View Post

If you provide them with oyster shell, nothing.  Or, some other kind of calcium supplement.

x2

 

 

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post #5 of 18
7/19/12 at 3:58pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by leadwolf1 View Post

If you provide them with oyster shell, nothing.  Or, some other kind of calcium supplement.

x3

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post #6 of 18
7/19/12 at 9:04pm

Our feed store told us you shouldn't eat an egg from a hen on chick starter food because of the medications in the food.  Has anyone else ever heard this?  We have 4 pullets about to be 17wks and 2 about to be 10wks, so I wasn't sure which kind of food to feed them (they're all mixed together, so eating the same food).  What do you think would be best?

idunno.gifhu.gifD.gif
 

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post #7 of 18
7/19/12 at 11:55pm
Thread Starter 

Thanks for all your replies! 

@SuziCue we have eaten the eggs from our 2 laying hens that eat poultry starter and nothing has happened smile.png. I thought they don't usually put medication in the ones for the chicks though. I could be wronghu.gif

If I was you, I would finish off using the bag of chick food and once its all been eaten buy a bag of feed for layers.

If you are already feeding them layer food just continue with that and mix it with oyster shells.

Good Luck! wee.gif

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post #8 of 18
7/20/12 at 3:07am
Quote:
Originally Posted by SuziCue View Post

Our feed store told us you shouldn't eat an egg from a hen on chick starter food because of the medications in the food.  Has anyone else ever heard this?  We have 4 pullets about to be 17wks and 2 about to be 10wks, so I wasn't sure which kind of food to feed them (they're all mixed together, so eating the same food).  What do you think would be best?

idunno.gifhu.gifD.gif
 

The med is usually just a thiamine blocker, amprolium and yes, you can eat eggs from hens that eat Starter with amp.  However, chick feed is also available without medication. Grower is also a great choice to feed a mixed flock.  Some companies call a Grower things like Flock Raiser or All Flock, which is also designed to be fed to everyone.

 

Advice given by feed store employees is often wrong.

 

 

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post #9 of 18
7/20/12 at 3:50am

I give chick feed to brooding hens and hens that have stopped laying owing to moult.  First group is generally not practical to separate from young and they do not need the excess calcium since not laying.  Second group laying is also stopped and need for protein may be increased a bit since all the feather growth is underway.  I do not use the medicated feed if hens can get to it since type I use is too expensive for such sloppy application.  If medicated feed to be used with hen reared chicks, then I use a creep feeder setup to deny hen access to medicated chick feed.

Make every effort to understand your chicken's biology and the environment that supports it.
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Make every effort to understand your chicken's biology and the environment that supports it.
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post #10 of 18
7/20/12 at 2:15pm

Chick starter is higher in protein than the layer pellets...and many chick starters have antibiotics in them that are passed into the eggs. Short term it shouldnt hurt the hens...  if it is medicated the eggs shouldnt be eaten.

I am a Maine farm girl! 2 horses, 2 dogs, 2 beef calves, 2 cats, a 75 gal fish tank, a Ball python, numerous barnyard banties and 9 EE's and three Muscovy ducks. Holy cow sounds like alot to see it written out!! :)

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I am a Maine farm girl! 2 horses, 2 dogs, 2 beef calves, 2 cats, a 75 gal fish tank, a Ball python, numerous barnyard banties and 9 EE's and three Muscovy ducks. Holy cow sounds like alot to see it written out!! :)

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