Feeding different aged birds in one coop

[hazelville]

Howdy,
I have 4 adults(Golden Sex Link, Ameraucana, Barred Rock & Columbian Wyandotte) that are outside and 8 eight week old (Brahma, Rhode Island Red-White Plymouth and Ameraucana) birds that we have been integrating by bringing down to the yard with the others and are about to leave them overnight with the older brood in a couple days. So far when they are together they really don't mingle much and stay close to each other especially the youngsters. The older girls check them out and stuff but it is still a "who the heck are those things?" situation from both camps.

My coop is pretty large so they won't be to crowded and I might put in another roost bar that will be more accessible for the smaller birds if there seems to be an issue.

My question is how can I keep the youngsters eating the development pellets and the ladies eating layer pellets?

I have a feeder that the youngsters are used to so I plan on putting it in a different location in the coop than the other. And since they are used to that feeder hopefully that will be enough for now especially since the layer pellets are in an area that may be too high for them to get to. But that won't be the case once they get acclimated in the coop.

So I guess the underlying elements to the question is:
1) How important is it that the youngsters stay on the developer pellets?
2) Will the eggs be affected if the layers are eating the development pellets?

Any constructive advice is welcome and I appreciate you taking the time to respond.

Cluckingly yours,

Chickie Farmer John

 

[Glenda L Heywood]

chickens need their own feed as that is why they are fed the starter grower and laying feed
so you will just have to do as you talked of doing and the chickens will live on the two feeds
some may go to one anothers but they will live

 

[OHMYCHICKIES]

I also would like to know this. Just messaging it so I can see the replies, sorry no answer for you.

 

[Imp]

Layer food has calcium in it that can potentially cause organ (kidney) damage, in chicks. So the reccomended course of action is use starter/grower or flock raiser. I'm not an expert, but have read this many times.
Imp

 

[digitS']

John, you can also feed the grower to the hens with free choice oyster shell.

I don't know if it is the best choice and any change of feed is fraught with production issues for the laying hens. Change may need to be slow . . .

I just left my current laying hens on FlockRaiser when they began to lay and make sure they have oyster shell. They liked the feed so well while still chicks that it was difficult to get them to finish their starter

.

With that vote of approval and because I see other BYC'ers doing the same, I just never moved them on to the layer feed. They get lots of other "stuff" also and make lots of eggs.

Steve

 

[OHMYCHICKIES]

so is FlockRaiser like the Nutrena Grower/Finisher? Someone picked that up for me and was told it could be fed to both layers and chicks.

 

[CoyoteMagic]

I've used Flock Raiser for "everybody" for the last 2 years. Layers, chicks, guineas, quail. You can use it for a varitey of backyard feathers! I give it to my chicks from point hatch upward. I've got big ol' chickens, and quail. Just provide free choice calcium for your layers. I feed them back the egg shells too.

ETA--my feedstore can't keep it in stock. I swear everyone in this area uses it for all of their flocks

 

[hazelville]

Thanks for your input everyone!

I use a product called Payback. It's Organic Pullet Developer Pellet.

The youngsters aren't very interested in the layer pellets (same company as developer and organic too) but the oldsters think they found a gold mine. So I added oyster shell and I also have egg shells that I cooked and crushed and added that too.

Once they go through what's left in the layer feeder I'll add the developer with the added shells to that one and they should be fine for a couple months. And once the youngsters start laying @ September I'll switch them all to the layer pellets.

I checked with the feed store (Linnton Feed - Linnton, OR near Portland) about some of the concerns stated here and they said my plan should be fine and not to worry about them eating some of the layer pellets.

So thanks again for you help.

My next project is figuring out a watering system that I can run off a sprinkler line source near the coop. Haven't started yet but if anyone has any pointers I'm all ears.

Farmer John