Different ages=Different feed???

[IroquoisEgg]

Hello there,
We have 3 laying hens, 2 12 weeks old, and 2 16 week old hens-we have been feeding them all the same laying pellets. Now, I have started to find out that they younger ones should not be eating this too. They are free range 3-6 hours a day and kept inside their coop/run the rest of the time. Please advise soon as I don't want to be hurting my gals!

 

[Kittymomma]

It's a pretty common problem. A lot of us feed flockraiser or gamebird (20-22% protien) to our entire flocks and put oyster shell out free choice so that the layers can meet their calcium needs. Everybody gets what they need this way and nothing they don't since the youngsters won't bother with the oyster shell and the somewhat higher protein doesn't hurt the layers. It is a bit more expensive, but worth it to me since with my set up it would be a logistical nightmare to keep the feed seperate.