⠀ Feed for hens AND 17 weeks old chicks?

[cowhlb]

What is a good feed for both hens and 17 year old chicks? The chick food is crumble and the hens don't like it much. Please give me your comments!

 

[MeepBeep]

Is it the crumble texture or the particular chick starter the hens are not liking?

What were the hens eating previous?

Worst case you just feed them two separate foods until the chicks are old enough to transition to what the hens are eating...

 

[SFrati]

If your chicks are 17 years old it sounds like you are doing something right!

 

[MsEllen2]

I usually have various age pullets in with my hens plus the geese at night. I feed Flock Raiser to everyone. The geese also have pasture and the hens forage some too.

 

[cowhlb]

Is it the crumble texture or the particular chick starter the hens are not liking?

What were the hens eating previous?

Worst case you just feed them two separate foods until the chicks are old enough to transition to what the hens are eating...

It is the texture. The bits are just to small for them.

Before the chicks I gave the hens Purina Layer feed.

 

[Happy Chooks]

It is the texture. The bits are just to small for them.

Before the chicks I gave the hens Purina Layer feed.

You can switch back to that or mix crumbles and pellets for everyone. At a year old, they are fine to switch to adult foods.

I feed Flockraiser to my flocks, the crumbles are a bit larger. I have mixed crumbles and pellets before with great results. Not all of my flock likes crumbles, so everybody gets what they want. During molt, I mix Flockraiser with Gamebird Starter for the extra protein.

 

[DrMikelleRoeder]

We recommend switching chickens over to a layer feed at 18 weeks of age, so given the age of your flock, I’d recommend using layer feed for all of your birds. A complete layer feed should provide all of your birds with the essential nutrients they need to support their health and egg production. Layena comes in both crumbles and pellets. If the hens are not fond of the crumble, you might try offering them a pelleted feed. It may take a little getting used to for your younger birds, but they will eventually adapt to the change. Be sure to gradually transition them to the layer feed by mixing ever-increasing amounts of the layer feed with the starter feed until the transition is complete. This should take 7 to 10 days.