4th Annual BYC NYD Hatch-a-long

[delisha]

TMN,
You have to do what works for you. Layer has additional calcium the chicks do not need and might cause issues, I am sure many feed it to chicks. I personally do not. I do not feed layer. I make FF and free feed the additional calcium and grit. I make sure all of the water has UPACV and additional vit.when new chicks hit the ground. It does not hurt the rest of the flock..

 

[SilkieSensation]

This reminded me of a question... I have Prim and her chicks in the barn. They are coming up on 8 weeks old now and I am planning on moving them to the coop soon. It is actually warmer in my coop than in the barn, so I am not too concerned with the temps. Will the 8 week olds be ok being fed layer feed? It will be impossible once I move them to feed them separately from the adults...

If you have somewhere only they can get into (under something or inside a crate with the door tied partially shut so only they can slip through) you can always set chick feed out for them there. If not, they will make do. You can always let just the babies out once a day to feed them separately if you are worried about it as well. What I tend to do is feed a mix when I have younger birds in the coop. I mix some baby food in with the layer & grains & just hope everyone picks out what they need.

 

[cochins1088]

This reminded me of a question... I have Prim and her chicks in the barn. They are coming up on 8 weeks old now and I am planning on moving them to the coop soon. It is actually warmer in my coop than in the barn, so I am not too concerned with the temps. Will the 8 week olds be ok being fed layer feed? It will be impossible once I move them to feed them separately from the adults...

I wouldn't. For many years I started chicks on chick starter and when the 50 lb bag ran out, they got switched to the layers pellets with the rest of the chickens. I noticed that I would have a couple random deaths of seemingly healthy birds when they were around 5 months of age and I never thought anything about it until this year. I lost a very promising bird, and started to make the connection that this has happened before.

I came to BYC and asked questions trying to figure out what happened. No one seemed to know, until one person asked me what I was feeding them. I explained and I was told it was the extra calcium that killed them. Some birds will do ok and make it, but for others, the stress on their bodies is just too much. I can't remember the whole process of what the extra calicum does to them, but I think it was basically organ failure that killed them.

I lost a total of 6 birds out of 22 that I raised this way. To fix the problem, I was told to switch to an 'all flock' feed and to keep a calicum supplement on the side for the laying hens. They will all eat the 'all flock' feed, but only the laying hens will pick at the calicum. Chickens are smart like that (or least I am told) and I believe it because I never see the roosters or young birds picking at the calcium, only the laying hens.

 

[SilkieSensation]

I wouldn't. For many years I started chicks on chick starter and when the 50 lb bag ran out, they got switched to the layers pellets with the rest of the chickens. I noticed that I would have a couple random deaths of seemingly healthy birds when they were around 5 months of age and I never thought anything about it until this year. I lost a very promising bird, and started to make the connection that this has happened before.

I came to BYC and asked questions trying to figure out what happened. No one seemed to know, until one person asked me what I was feeding them. I explained and I was told it was the extra calcium that killed them. Some birds will do ok and make it, but for others, the stress on their bodies is just too much. I can't remember the whole process of what the extra calicum does to them, but I think it was basically organ failure that killed them.

I lost a total of 6 birds out of 22 that I raised this way. To fix the problem, I was told to switch to an 'all flock' feed and to keep a calicum supplement on the side for the laying hens. They will all eat the 'all flock' feed, but only the laying hens will pick at the calicum. Chickens are smart like that (or least I am told) and I believe it because I never see the roosters or young birds picking at the calcium, only the laying hens.

This is true. I forgot I used to use Flock Raiser for everyone before I started separating them into breeding pens. Even if you mix the oyster shell thru the feed only the hens & older pullets will pick it out & eat it. I know I have plenty of calcium in my feed when I find a few pieces of oyster shell in the bottom of my bowls & nothing else or just the tiny crumbs & some shell.

 

[JakeBremer]

I had 4 Chicks hatch for this hatch-a-long. I was over at my dads, then when i came home my mom told me she accidently froze my chicks to death. :'(

 

[delisha]

I had 4 Chicks hatch for this hatch-a-long. I was over at my dads, then when i came home my mom told me she accidently froze my chicks to death. :'(

sorry

 

[cochins1088]

I had 4 Chicks hatch for this hatch-a-long. I was over at my dads, then when i came home my mom told me she accidently froze my chicks to death. :'(

I'm so sorry, it's alway devastating to lose chicks, especially when there are only a few.

 

[Sally Sunshine]

I had 4 Chicks hatch for this hatch-a-long. I was over at my dads, then when i came home my mom told me she accidently froze my chicks to death. :'(

oh No I am so sorry!

 

[ronott1]

Quote: The calcium blows out their kidneys.

parakeet and other grits in the pet store has calcium in it too. You are supposed to switch them to grower during the molting season and for Roosters. When a hen is not laying eggs, the calcium in the feed can hurt their kidneys too. The problem where I live is that the feed stores stop carrying grower during the winter, so I have to special order it.

I like the idea of using Grower and leaving extra calcium out for the ones that want it.

 

[Sally Sunshine]

Quote: The calcium blows out their kidneys.

parakeet and other grits in the pet store has calcium in it too. You are supposed to switch them to grower during the molting season and for Roosters. When a hen is not laying eggs, the calcium in the feed can hurt their kidneys too. The problem where I live is that the feed stores stop carrying grower during the winter, so I have to special order it.

I like the idea of using Grower and leaving extra calcium out for the ones that want it.
Could eating layer and calcium chips in the coop do the same thing to a ROO?