Feeding 10 week olds layer feed.

[Kyng]

My rooster is bothering my hens - I need to separate him.
The only place I can put him is where my chicks are. They are 10 weeks old now.
If I put the babies with the hens, I can lock up the roo.
However, I can’t separate the feeders as they’re pretty big chicks and I can’t make a small entrance to their food so the others don’t access it, and they don’t eat the layer feed.
Can they eat the layer feed this young?
Pros and cons

 

[Ajp23]

Can you switch everyone to an all flock food and add oyster shell on the side for the laying hens? This is what I do and it works well for us.

 

[Kyng]

Can you switch everyone to an all flock food and add oyster shell on the side for the laying hens? This is what I do and it works well for us.

They only have these two stages of food, chicks and layer.

 

[nuthatched]

They only have these two stages of food, chicks and layer.

Then feed everyone chick feed and provide oyster shells for your layers

 

[FrostRanger]

Roosters really shouldn't be eating layer feed anyways, the chick starter will be just fine for everyone

 

[BigBlueHen53]

Layer feed contains calcium that can be harmful over the long term to non-laying birds. So roosters, old hens, birds that are molting and young non-layers should not eat it. Chick feed, a grower formula or all-flock will work for everyone as stated above, just provide grit in one vessel and oyster shell in another, and you've met all their nutritional needs.

 

[K0k0shka]

Chick feed is better than layer anyway, because layer feeds tend to be too low on protein. You can keep the whole flock on chick feed forever (with calcium on the side) and they'll be much better off.