Keeping chicks with hen, how to handle feeding?

[cluckfan]

I have kept Chickens for the past couple of years, but I decided to go natural and let my hens raise their own babies. The first of some Silkies have arrived within the last two days. How do I handle feeding the chicks? They are in a Tractor with Mom and another couple of Silkies. So far I have just viewed them for a minute as Mom is really protecting them. I am used to feeding chicks in a brooder. I am wondering how I can feed them their chick crumbles and also keep them out of the adlut fountain? I don't plan on medicated feed so I guess it would be ok for the adult birds to eat?

 

[JanO]

My chickens free range so I don't know how much help I can offer. Usually my chicks that are being raised by the hen will eat anything that mama hen eats and do fine. I'd feed them normally, but add some chick crumbles to the mix. It won't hurt the adults and hopfully the chicks will get some of it as well.

 

[cluckfan]

Thanks, I am not really sure when they hatched. It was either yesterday or poss day before. I have tried not to disturb the hen. I'm off for some chick food!

 

[Scourge]

You could fence off an area with chicken wire and keep the mother and chicks there, or you could put the adult feeders on top of a few bricks to keep the chicks from being able to reach them. Medicated and non-medicated chick food is okay for adult chickens to eat as well as the little ones. When we had a broody hen she loved it and never was harmed by it.

 

[Ridgerunner]

The problem with feeding adult laying hens and chicks together is that the hens need extra calcium for the egg shells and eating excess calcium can cause internal damage to the chicks. That’s based on studies where they cut the chicks open to see what happens to the internal organs when they eat excess calcium like there is in Layer.

The easy way around that problem is to feed the entire flock Starter, Grower, Flock Raiser, some feed that does not have the excess calcium Layer has but offer oyster shell on the side. The ones that need the calcium for their egg shells will eat it and the others won’t eat enough to harm themselves.

Putting the feeder up high never works for me. Within two weeks the chicks are flying up there to get the feed. I hang a bucket with holes cut in the sides for the hens to put their heads through to eat. The chicks just fly up there and walk around inside the bucket.

 

[cluckfan]

I had thought about raising the food up. Maybe even move them to a large dog kennel that I have . Thanks

 

[cluckfan]

Oh yes I had not thought about the calcium issue. It would have hit me sooner or later. My husband is an engineer type and is trying to come up with a chicken creep feeder.
I did purchase non medicated chick food today. I have not seen them come out of the nest but they look good. I just had to inspect them. I will just buy a bigger bag of chick food. Thank you.

 

[Ridgerunner]

I built this because the adults will eat any feed I put out special for the chicks even when it is exactly the same feed in their regular feeder. I just put this over the chick feeder. It needed a bit of maintenance when I took this photo but the chicks can enter through the ends. The hens can’t get their heads in as far as the food.

 

[ray2310]

Our experience is just to let chicks eat whatever mama is eating. Layer feed/scrambled eggs/worms/raw milk/ really anything we would feed to older hens.

Never had a problem with any.

 

[cluckfan]

Now that's a good ideal. My husband was talking about something plastic but I bet this would work better. I will show him this Thanks!