HEEEELP!

[ljnac3160]

I have 6 laying hens that are 18 months old and have added 5 new hens to my flock. I currently have them separated but the young ones are now 11 weeks old and are growing out of their temporary home. I'm having a new coop built but it's not quite ready yet, so if I put the younger ones in with the older girls and house them together for a while I don't know how to feed them. I know it's harmful for the "babies" to eat Layena, but is it harmful to the older girls to eat the Start & Grow if I were to only offer that for the time being? Any suggestions??

 

[suezqz_64]

I have never heard that Layer food is harmful to younger chicks. If it's just for a short time, can you feed them all corn or a mixture of both foods?

 

[terryg]

The full-grown hens can eat the chick food, but the chicks can't eat the layer food because of the higher calcium content. Calcium can be offered free-choice to the flock. I use a hopper up off the ground. Tidy, not wasteful, and the chicks will ignore it. You see a photo of that here, along with more about feeding:
http://hencam.com/faq/what-to-feed-your-chickens/

 

[ljnac3160]

Thank you, Terry, so very much!! I absolutely love your web-site!! I do offer oyster shell to the full grown hens, but if I end up having to house them together for a while, I'll skip it. I had read that the high calcium content can damage the chicks' kidney's, etc., plus they really need all of the protein and nutrients provided in the Start & Grow. I was just concerned that the older girls might not get what they need, or perhaps it would alter their laying habits if they ate the S & G for a week or two. I guess if it's only a short period of time it would be ok? I allow them all to free range every day as well, so I suppose supplementing with all that they get from that is good too?

 

[terryg]

When your hens and youngsters free-range it's all less of a worry! A short time on the grower is fine. Just double-check that it's not medicated. A friend bought some feed at TS and it wasn't until she read the fine print that she discovered it was medicated (and she was quite upset as the eggs were going to her pregnant daughter.) Sometimes the feed sold for show birds and broilers have ingredients you want to avoid. (not always, just some brands.)

 

[Chris09]

I have never heard that Layer food is harmful to younger chicks. If it's just for a short time, can you feed them all corn or a mixture of both foods?

Feeding any feed that has high levels of Calcium can be toxic to any non-laying fowl, whether it be chicks, growing stock, pullets, cockerels, roosters or hen that are not laying.
You can do a Google Search on Calcium Toxicity in non-laying poultry and find a lot of information on the topic but in short, high amounts of Calcium in a non-laying fowls diet can cause a number of problems but the most common are kidney damage, gout, and even death.


Chris

 

[ljnac3160]

Thanks again Terry and thanks to you too, Chris for taking the time to answer my call for help! Much appreciated!

 

[ljnac3160]

Oh...btw...seems I haven't added 5 hens to my flock. Looks like I've added 4 hens and 1 roo! SURPRISE! What to do...what to do...

 

[Chris09]

Oh...btw...seems I haven't added 5 hens to my flock. Looks like I've added 4 hens and 1 roo! SURPRISE! What to do...what to do...

You can feed everyone a Starter/ Grower and just offer oyster shells in a bowl off to the side.


Chris