Hens and roosters can eat chick starter at any time. It will never hurt them. If a hen is laying, she will need more calcium, so offering oyster shell on the side is recommended if you're feeding laying hens starter feed.
Chicks cannot eat layer. The extra calcium causes bone issues, kidney issues, eventually kidney failure, and death. On top of that, it doesn't have enough protein that chicks that are growing need. Growing bigger and growing feathers takes a lot of protein.
Buy the 50 pound bag. Your broody hen can eat it no problem, and your other hens can too. Eating it for a little while until the bag is gone probably won't cause an issue with their eggs either even if you don't have oyster shell for them to eat.
Chicks cannot eat layer. The extra calcium causes bone issues, kidney issues, eventually kidney failure, and death. On top of that, it doesn't have enough protein that chicks that are growing need. Growing bigger and growing feathers takes a lot of protein.
Buy the 50 pound bag. Your broody hen can eat it no problem, and your other hens can too. Eating it for a little while until the bag is gone probably won't cause an issue with their eggs either even if you don't have oyster shell for them to eat.
