Quote:
I thought the bigger issue as maintaining availbility of chick feed and keeping the others out of it esp if medicated feed is beeing given to the chicks.
The chicks will be happy to have their own feed set up where they don't need to fight for space with adults. If the chicks get a little layer feed it absolutly will not hurt them. I have had some chicks that came into the flock at odd times that did not get a full course of chick starter before they went to layer ration, apparently no ill effects and of hundreds of of thousands of roosters out there few ever seem to suffer while surviving on the girls layer ration.
Chick feed still has close to %1 calcium (some as high as 1.5%) rather than 3-4% in layer ration. Granted 1% is likely the better level for pre lay birds but there is no need to think of layer ration as toxic.
I guess it depends on your definition of toxic. The reason I think of Layer as not good for growing chicks is that it can cause bone deformation or kidney problems which can later kill them. Not that it does each and every time, but it can.
If you consider that they have to fall over dead the instand they eat it for it to be toxic, then it is not toxic. They are not going to fall over dead the instant they eat a bite of Layer or a bit of oyster shell. A little bit od excess calcium won't hurt them. They do need some calcium for some growth. That's why it's in Starter and Grower. The damage from excess calcium is more long term. The more they eat and the longer they eat it, the more likely you are to cause long term damage. Some will never have or show that damage. Some will fall over dead for no apparent reason at some time in the future, maybe a year or two later. Their damaged kidneys finally gave out.
Grown chickens can handle excess calcium better then growing chicks. Just because grown roosters or non-laying adult hens can handle the excess calcium, do not assume that growing chicks can handle it as easily. There is a difference. The recommendations are for growing chicks, not grown chickens.
I'm not going to say that a growing chick eating some Layer will cause damage 100% of each and every time. It will not. But I will say that a growing chick eating excess calcium over time, such as that found in Layer, can suffer damage and that feeding them Layer is not a wise thing to do.
