Feeding hens and chicks

[My First Chick]

I have a hen and a rooster that are 6 months old. The hen has just started laying. I also have three chicks that are 2 months old. They all eat out of the same feeder. I mix starter feed and grower feed together for them. How do I go about giving the hen layer feed when they all eat together?

 

[Rickba]

It's OK to switch to egg layer for all of them. It won't effect your chicks at all. If your worried about it just add some extra vitamins and protein to the water. OR, you can continue to feed starter for another 4 weeks and put a bowl of oyster shells in the coop for the layers for the extra calcium. The extra calcium is more important for the layers, but either way works.

 

[rjohns39]

Put oyster shell out free choice. You should also offer grit free choice as well.

 

[My First Chick]

The shells of her eggs are really hard. Should I still use oyster shell?

 

[Rickba]

Yes, laying eggs takes a lot of calcium from their systems. It needs to be replenished. If not their bones will become soft as their system tries to take calcium from the bones and other areas of the body. Soon you'll have soft shell eggs and no shell eggs and sick chickens. Keeping their Calcium up is very important. Oyster shell is really cheap. I pay about 8uds for a 25 pound bag. You can buy as little as a 5 pound bag for a few $$$$.

 

[My First Chick]

Thank you so much! I will get this tomorrow and get her started on it. You have been so much help!

 

[Rickba]

Welcome, any way I can help.

 

[junebuggena]

Layer feed is for actively laying birds only. It can cause kidney damage and death if fed to birds that aren't laying, including chicks and roosters. The safest approach is to just feed starter/grower to everybody and set out some crushed oyster shell for those that need it.

 

[JefferyEarl]

What?! If you have roaster and laying hens together how would you keep them eating separately

 

[Folly's place]

I feed Purina Flock Raiser to all my birds, young, old both sexes. Oyster shell on the side for the laying hens, always available. In my area, it's always fresh (mill date within four weeks!) and easily found. I'd recommend it as a good feed for all chickens, but it's most important to find something that's fresh at your local feed stores, so it's always fed within about six weeks of mill date. Layer feed is only for actively laying hens, and it's just too difficult to have different feeds out there and expect the right birds to eat the right stuff!
Mary