Hello, I am new to having chickens, just got 3 olive egger pullets, about 13 weeks old. Right now, because of the cold weather, I have them in my shed in a large crate. Here are a few feeding questions: I have been sprinkling some timothy hay onto the newspaper in the crate. I see that they do nibble on it. Is that ok or should I leave it out? I bought meal worms (both dried and live) for them. Is it ok to feed them a small handful a day, or is that too much? I am wondering about oyster shell. Do I wait for them to start laying eggs to feed it to them, or start now so the eggs are nice and strong? Same with layer food.. do I start feeding it to them before they start laying? So far they have not been given any vegetables. When should I start to give them some scraps? I know not to give them a whole lot, but I am thinking that if they don't at least have a little bit, they won't recognize it as food and won't want any. I hope that the weather will warm up soon and they can go out into the coop. Ted and Nancy
Welcome! Feed them grower crumble until they are laying, with grit on the side, and some treats. Shavings are a better choice for bedding, and they will enjoy the hay too. They should be good to move into their coop anytime if it's ready. Pictures? Mary
They have nice down coats, so there is no reason they can't go into their coop now. They would be happier with more room. As the above poster suggested pine shavings for bedding works best. Continue to feed them chick starter or grower until they start laying then switch them to layer. A lot of us use an all flock feed instead so that is another option. Scraps and treats are fine now.