10 week olds eating layer pellets-harmfull?

[sonew123]

OK -so all my chickens free range during the day together-my 2 -1 yr old hens and my 20-10 week olds-I noticed today that the bowl with the big hens layer pellets was empty? I thought huh? I swear I just filled that yesterday-so I filled it again and walked away-well hours later I went to go play with my babies and I saw all the 10 week olds in teh big hens run eating all their food! How do I get them to not eat their food? They all get along so I dont want to lock that run up-also my hens return there evryday to lay their eggs-what would you do? Is this really going to hurt my chicks? This has been ging on for a few days now it would seem?

 

[sonew123]

I guess I better keep researching huh?

 

[bigtooks]

do you have your young chicks on medicated feed of any kind...the problem i had with young chicks eating unmedicated feed was that they got coccidiosis..i caught it in time with first chickens...lost one with second batch of chickens before i noticed it...they say the young ones will get it from the adult chickens

 

[sonew123]

Quote:
I put them om med food for 4 weeks them switch to chicstarter-they are now on grower?

 

[Omran]

Well I called Purina two days ago with the same question, the answer was: the laying mash has a lot of calcium in it and that will affect the young bird's bones, so if you can separate the young ones till they are 18 weeks old.

 

[bigtooks]

if the grower is not medicated...keep an eye on their poo...if it starts looking bloody then you need to treat them...i introduced my 2 month old chickens to the flock and they got it within 2 weeks...then i tried again with second batch of chickens..these weren't quite 2 months yet...and they got it too...ugh! i lost one tho that time..

they are actually in a brooder that i built in the coop so they could get to know each other...they get it from pecking the big girls poo...

 

[Judy]

You can feed medicated grower or starter/grower to all of them til the young ones are old enough to eat layer. Offer oyster shell separately so the hens can get the calcium they need. The chicks should eat little if any of the oyster shell.

BTW, cocci are in the soil.

 

[bigtooks]

Quote:
someone told me that the adult chickens will carry it but will not have a breakout...they also said that earth worms...bugs etc. have it also...i dunno..all i know is...I'm tired of it!!!!