Exactly. I think this is what most backyard chicken owners do. I think layer feed is mostly used by people who are involved in high egg production for egg sale, no roosters, no chicks to hatch and raise, cull hens over 3 years old. There are farms that raise eggs to hatch and sell those to...
How long have the babies been in the cage and inside with the adults? Normally I crate for about 2 weeks, usually more, of newbies being seen through a dog cage. I just did this with 4 newbies joining 4 adults. Because one newbie was much smaller I kept them in for about 3 weeks to allow her to...