Chick feed is for chicks not laying hens!!

[roseyred]

I'm putting my two 6 week olds in with the big girls. They get along while free ranging so I'll sit around with em one day in the run to make sure there's no issues. But I was wondering how can I keep them all together and keep the big ones from eating the chick feed? And the chicks from eating the layer feed!? AHHH lol or should I just let them do there thing?

 

[Pyxis]

Feed them all chick feed and just offer oyster shell free choice where the adult hens can easily get to it. Putting them on flock raiser is also an option.

 

[pdirt]

I had the same confusion when we first got into chickens!

It's okay for the laying hens to eat the chick feed.

It's NOT okay for the chicks to eat layer feed.

x2 what Pyxis said, just feed chick feed with crushed oyster shells on the side. The layers will eat the oyster shells (for calcium) and the chicks will mostly leave it alone.

Once the chicks have begun laying, you could then switch to layer feed again.

However, if you ever plan to do this again (put chicks in with adults) or you have any roosters that you care about their health, you might consider never using layer feed again. Just keep crushed oyster shells on the side and feed starter, grower or "all flock/flockraiser" feed. If you have chicks in the group, it would be best to feed everyone starter until they are grown, then you could feed grower or flockraiser. Layer feed is very specialized feed...only laying hens (especially only hens currently laying and aren't in a molt, ill, old, etc.) should be eating layer feed. The extra calcium in layer feed is very hard (potentially lethal to chicks) on the kidneys of chicks and roosters.

 

[jmdarrow]

Thank you for answering the question I was about to ask. I heard tho, that oyster shells could make laying hens eat their eggs. Truth or myth?

 

[pdirt]

Thank you for answering the question I was about to ask. I heard tho, that oyster shells could make laying hens eat their eggs. Truth or myth?

Ha! I have not heard that one yet. No, I don't think that is true. We've been using oyster shells for a couple years now and have never had a chicken eat an egg, except for the rare one that gets broken, they will eat those ones.

 

[roseyred]

Sweet. I wonder if country side organics has flock raise?? I know tey have grower..and thy would be okay? I know the 1-4 weeks always need starter.

 

[Ol Grey Mare]

Sweet. I wonder if country side organics has flock raise?? I know tey have grower..and thy would be okay? I know the 1-4 weeks always need starter.

You can feed any grower ration offered by the particular manufacturer you wish to feed from and have the same basic feed program you would by using Flock Raiser.

 

[Ol Grey Mare]

For the specific feed line you mentioned I would suggest this: http://feed.countrysideorganics.com/poultry-feeds/grower-broiler.html

 

[roseyred]

Perfect. That's exactt what I need to do. I spent $37 on a 25 lb bag of chick starter at the farm store...the lady who woks there is a jerk and when I asked for organic grower she said there no such thing an I treid to explain what it was and she said "nope with organic feed there's only chick and layer feed, they don't use grower in organic"......I didn't wanna argue...not gettig food from there anymore lol. A 50 lb bag is $30 with the country side place!

 

[can you hear me now?]

I know this is of topic but I'm glad i live where there is a mill close by. Couldn't imagine spending that much on chick starter. 50 lbs of game bird feed was only 13 dollars last week.