⠀ Calcium and roosters?

[Tarryn]

Am I able to feed my chickens a layer feed if I have roosters?

 

[TheTwoRoos]

Its not good for roosters,only laying hens nothign else.

 

[Purina]

Am I able to feed my chickens a layer feed if I have roosters?

Hi Tarryn,

Great question! Chickens that are not laying eggs should not be fed a laying hen diet. The amount of calcium in a laying hen diet is almost 4 times higher than what a non-laying chicken needs. Feeding that high level of calcium to non-laying birds can lead to kidney damage/failure.

I would recommend Purina Flock Raiser for the roosters. You can put that in a separate feeder that is higher up for the roosters to access. It’s not ideal for the rooster to eat layer feed – the calcium is much higher than what he need, but if he tends to eat “his” feed most of the time, then it is not likely to be an issue. This is a common problem when you house roosters and hens together. They have different nutrient requirements but it is difficult to reason with them and to convince them to only eat their feed. As long as he spends the majority of his time eating his own feed, I wouldn’t be too concerned.