10 week old pullets eating layer feed

[thechickengroup]

Thank you for this information. We are completely new to raising chickens and have one older gal and 2 younger ones.

 

[farm girl]

I think they would be ok! But if i were you i would do some more research.

 

[bbyblueyes3]

I am new to this... Need all the advice I can get... I had a feed store say it would be ok to start feeding laying pellets... My girls are 13 to 16 weeks old.

 

[farm girl]

They can trust me! ( eat pellets )

 

[Pollo Mama]

Thank you all! Great advice and we have changed their food!

 

[myfivehens]

We have 19 week old ones that have just started laying and 12 week pullets all together...I'm feeding the Purina mixed flock feed and free choice oyster shell, seems to be working out fine!

 

[Pollo Mama]

We too started feeding them all the mixed flock feed with oyster shell on the side.... And it has been fine... A very happy hen house! Not to mention Albert our Roo! He seems pretty happy too!!

 

[colleen4nier]

The standard way to resolve this is to feed them all Grower and offer oyster shell on the side. Do not mix oyster with the feed.

The chickens that need the oyster shell for egg shells will eat it. The ones that don’t need it won’t eat enough to harm themselves. Other than extra calcium, Grower has everything the hens need for egg production.

Mine aren't touching the oyster shells and the eggs are coming out too soft. My older girls are 17 weeks today, and the youngsters are 10 weeks.

 

[Ridgerunner]

When pullets first start to lay it is not that unusual for you to get some unusual eggs: soft-shelled, no shelled, double yolked, no yolk, extremely thick shelled, or just weird in other ways. Their internal egg making factory is fairly complicated, it sometimes takes a while for them to work out the kinks. I don't know how many eggs you've seen like that but yours are 17 weeks old, give them time to debug their system.

It is always possible there is something wrong with a hen where she does not process the calcium she eats, usually something genetic. It is possible, especially for a pullet, that her instincts to eat the extra calcium have not kicked in. Not all chickens are perfect. But give her another week or two and see if things get better.