6 month old layers getting chick/grower feed - problem?

[KarynVA]

Good morning,
My thread topic pretty much says it all. I have 3 hens, about 6 months old, they've been laying for 6 weeks and my bag of Dumor "grower/ finisher" food is running low. So I went to TS but they didn't have the grower/ finisher type of food anywhere on the shelves; I could only find Dumor "starter/grower". I see that the starter food has 20% protein and the layer food has %16 protein. That's the only difference I could find on the description on the bags.

Will my hens be okay for 50 lbs worth of the chick type of feed? Or should I try to find some of the finisher feed somewhere that may have it in stock? I live in a small town that doesn't have any stores that sell it, I drove to the next town to get what I have and that is the only store I know of that sells it.

 

[NatJ]

The chick starter should be fine.
It's best if it is not medicated (check the label--medicated feed is usually labeled pretty clearly.)

Make sure they also have oyster shell available, as a source of calcium. (Young chicks do not need as much calcium as laying hens, so the chick starter will not have enough calcium for laying hens.) Just put the oyster shell in a separate dish, so they can eat whatever amount they want.

 

[KarynVA]

Thanks! Oh, right, I meant to include in my post that I offer egg shells and oyster shell (in two separate dishes) free choice all the time. And grit, of course.

 

[NatJ]

Thanks! Oh, right, I meant to include in my post that I offer egg shells and oyster shell (in two separate dishes) free choice all the time. And grit, of course.

Then you're all set!