When can chicks eat LAYER CRUMBLES ???

[Chicken Rustler]

This may have already been asked but I looked through several pages and didn't find it.
I have 14 chicks that are 5 weks today. At what age is it OK to start feeding them the same layer crumbles that my hens eat.

 

[Egghead_Jr]

The key to keeping all the birds on one feed is to use non layer feeds and toss oyster shell to the layers once a week. Keren mentioned meat bird feed. I use non medicated chick starter/grower as the sole feed when there are chicks as it's crumble and once the young ones are big enough to take pellets the entire flock moves over to a turkey/gamebird finisher. Non medicated chick starter, turkey finisher, meat bird feed and the like are all considered "all flock" feed. Any poultry and any age can eat them.

 

[Ridgerunner]

When they are ready to lay. No earlier than 16 weeks but it is best to wait until 20 weeks or you see your first egg from them. The layer crumbles has excess calcium in it which is not good for growing chicks.

 

[pkeeler]

Ridge is right. Do you have some bags laying around? If you bought layer crumbles by accident, you could probably mix it 50-50 with regular chick food. Or maybe 1:3. I don't know if it would spoil if you waited 11 weeks.

 

[SundownWaterfowl]

I wouldnt start until they are 18 weeks of age.

 

[Cetawin]

I would go from starter to a grower or all in one about 16 weeks old then to layer when they begin laying.

There is too much calcium in the layer for the chicks.

 

[Chicken Rustler]

Thank you all sooo much for your help. I was asking because I am getting low on Chick food and thought since I have 3 laying hens maybe I could just buy 1 type of feed rather than 2.
Thanks Rob

 

[plapczynski]

16-20 weeks. Its usually on the bag.

 

[Huny]

At 6 weeks you can go to grower crumbles, but not layer yet.

 

[pkeeler]

Thank you all sooo much for your help. I was asking because I am getting low on Chick food and thought since I have 3 laying hens maybe I could just buy 1 type of feed rather than 2.

You can do that, just can't feed layer food to chicks that young. But you can certainly feed non-medicated chick food to your hens. Just put a small feeder with oyster shell out. You can probably feed medicated chick feed for that matter, but I don't know if that would effect the eggs.​