What to feed hen & chicks

[sophi3]

Hen being housed indoors just hatched 4 chicks yesterday and they are so small they can only eat crumbs. I would just give them chick feed, but mum is eating the same food & I don't want her to get an upset stomach from it. Saw someone saying they just crush regular feed to chick size, so i tried doing that and have failed miraculously - blender turns it into a fine powder, (does the same on lowest setting, just slowly) and chopping it up takes a very long time.
Chicks seem to only eat whenever mum is eating and calls them out to share, so unsure if separate food bowls would do anything. Am I overthinking? should I just let the mum hen eat crumbed chick feed?

 

[NatJ]

should I just let the mum hen eat crumbed chick feed?

Yes. Chick feed is fine for chickens of all ages and all sizes.

Chicks seem to only eat whenever mum is eating and calls them out to share

Yes, that is normal for chicks being raised by a broody hen.

 

[sophi3]

Yes. Chick feed is fine for chickens of all ages and all sizes.


Yes, that is normal for chicks being raised by a broody hen.

thankyou! will get a bag for them. saw other posts mentioning to turn the leftover dust from crumble into mash so will do that as well.

 

[Nym]

thankyou! will get a bag for them. saw other posts mentioning to turn the leftover dust from crumble into mash so will do that as well.

I use a bullet blender to chop regular chook feed down to a crumb for a mash. As they get older it's easy to increase the crumb size. My hens still love it when the mash gets served up lol

 

[NatJ]

Saw someone saying they just crush regular feed to chick size

I use a bullet blender to chop regular chook feed down to a crumb for a mash.

I would check the label on the feed when using it for chicks.

In the USA, it is common for people to feed their hens a "layer" feed that would be bad for chicks (not enough protein, too much calcium.)

There are some other feeds that could be called "regular" chicken feed that are just fine for chicks, as long as you make the size small enough.

Reading the label can tell whether your "regular" feed is acceptable for chicks.

The two big points for chick feed:
--not too much calcium (1% is fine, 3% is way too high for chicks)
--enough protein (check the protein level on the chick starter to tell what is right in your country. The USA recommendation is 18% to 20% protein for chicks, but some other countries make carefully-balanced feeds that provide what a chick needs while having a lower total protein content.)

 

[Nym]

I would check the label on the feed when using it for chicks.

In the USA, it is common for people to feed their hens a "layer" feed that would be bad for chicks (not enough protein, too much calcium.)

There are some other feeds that could be called "regular" chicken feed that are just fine for chicks, as long as you make the size small enough.

Reading the label can tell whether your "regular" feed is acceptable for chicks.

The two big points for chick feed:
--not too much calcium (1% is fine, 3% is way too high for chicks)
--enough protein (check the protein level on the chick starter to tell what is right in your country. The USA recommendation is 18% to 20% protein for chicks, but some other countries make carefully-balanced feeds that provide what a chick needs while having a lower total protein content.)

Thank you! Apologies to the OP; I should have said Scratch Mix or Yard Scratch, which doesn't contain pellets.

 

[K0k0shka]

Chick starter crumble is fine for the hen to eat along with the chicks. No need to do extra work and chop/blend anything up, the crumble particles are small enough for the chicks to eat and there's always smaller pieces in there and even some dust, so the chicks can find the right size particles.

 

[Nona Urbiz]

Does the hen need a small bowl of oyster shells while she is separated with her chicks and the chick feed? I would think so. But what about the baby chicks getting into the oyster shell?

 

[Huntmaster]

Does the hen need a small bowl of oyster shells while she is separated with her chicks and the chick feed? I would think so. But what about the baby chicks getting into the oyster shell?

A hen not laying doesn't need the extra oyster shell.

 

[NatJ]

Does the hen need a small bowl of oyster shells while she is separated with her chicks and the chick feed? I would think so. But what about the baby chicks getting into the oyster shell?

If she is not laying, she does not really need the oyster shell.

But providing the oyster shell is not a problem either. Chickens of any age are quite good at eating or avoiding oyster shell according to their own needs-- apparently it just does not taste good unless they need it. So I don't think you need to worry about the chicks.