Chicks and Pullets... How to properly feed in same coop.

[Farmer413]

My chick's are going to go in with my hens that just started laying in about 4 to 6 weeks. The thing that concerns me is they eat two different kinds of food. The chicks eat starter/grower until they reach 18 or so weeks. The others are eating layer crumbles. How do I make sure they get the food that is meant for them while they are all free in the coop? I'm not able to separate them. Thanks

 

[Ol Grey Mare]

This is a common concern - the simplest solution is to feed the entire flock one feed (a grower, flock-raiser or all-flock) and then simply provide oyster shell in a separate container so that the laying birds are able to consume the calcium they need. Many folks, myself included, use this feed program at all times - it no only simplifies feeding a mixed flock (age, gender, laying status effected by broodiness, etc) but the rations used are generally a little higher in protein than most commercial layer rations which tend to be at the very minimal protein content to sustain production.

 

[Dmontgomery]

I agree with the above. I feed chick starter only while the babies are in the brooder. When they go in the big girl pen, they get "all flock" like everybody else. I have a pan of oyster shell next to the feeders for the layers to supplement calcium intake.

If a hen goes broody and hatches out her own babies in the coop, that's a different story. When that happens I set up a small feeder with chick feed just for them. The adult hens constantly raid it and typically knock it over but the babies still get enough of it, if they want.