Do you feed bantams the same as standard size???

[wheatnroses]

Can someone please tell me how to safely feed my little ones. This year I ordered some bantam chicks. Silkies and a few Frizzles, they are so adorable I just love them and they are a scream to watch and play with. I started them on med chick starter but will need to change them soon to a layers feed. I am afraid that the pellet form I feed my standard size girls will be too large for them to eat safely. and the same with giving them grit. should I give them layers crumbles and #1 grit???
I want to keep them safe and happy not to mention healthy.

 

[TXchickmum]

-feed our bantam chickens regular layer crumbles. They love it! I also offer them regular grit, although they manage to find plenty of tiny pebbles in the yard/flower beds, as well. I feed crumbles to my standard chickens, as well. They seem to prefer it.

 

[janinepeters]

I do feed my bantams layer pellets because I want to feed organic, and organic crumbles are not available at our local feed store. The bantams seem perfectly able to digest those big pieces. I think it's fine because the ingredients are ground up and compressed together into a pellet. I would think that is easier to digest than a whole corn kernel, for example. A pellet becomes mushy and falls apart when wet, but a whole grain doesn't. That's my reasoning anyway. I'm sure someone else will disagree!

 

[wheatnroses]

Thank you all for your input on how to feed my little bantams. I feed the larger chickens pellets and will also feed them to the bantams. It sounds like I won't need to change from the regular size #2 grit either. It was mentioned that whole grain doesn't fall apart like the pallets, would it be ok than to feed them scratch grain since it is ground (except for the wheat) ?

 

[janinepeters]

I do give all my birds a bit of scratch each day as a treat, but with the bantams in mind, I cut it with a birdseed mix, meant for wild finches, of finely chopped sunflower hearts, hulled millet, and nyger seed...and sometimes chopped peanut hearts. My bantams never seem to have a problem with the scratch grains, but I don't give them very much of it. I've worried, just as you do, and try to avoid giving them large, hard to digest pieces of food. When I give certain other treats, such as grapes, I chop them up pretty finely, to make it easy on the bantams.

 

[Gerry97]

 

[Folly's place]

My bantams eat the same all- flock crumble that the flock eats, and do fine. When I fed a layer pellet, they also had no problems. I have no experience with those cute tiny Seramas. Mary