Help Rooster feeding when with the flock? Getting soft shell TOO?

[GhostRider65]

Hello everyone, as many know I'm pretty new to owning chickens, have had my own since March and now my flock is down to reasonable rooster ratio's I'm wondering what and how to feed my roo's who run with the flock of 10 hens? I'VE HEARD/READ EXTRA CALCIUM IN LAYER ISN'T GOOD FOR THEM? IS THIS TRUE? Will it kill my 2 roosters. I did a search on the forum and didn't find much about it already posted. So here I am posting a new thread, hoping to gain some much needed insight??????????
I tried to feed Flock raiser at first with the oyster shell, even sprinkled the oyster with feed and scratch to help consumption, but I was getting no shell eggs?2 day, not sure if it was the feed or just because my girls have all recently started laying since Aug. 2, and over the course of the month 7 out of my 10 are laying and now again I'm getting a soft shell egg everyday, from a new layer I suppose, or maybe the same one as before I don't know I never caught who was doing it the first time. because it stopped when I switched to Layer pellets.
Help what should I do with my Roo's and what about the soft eggs? Is it normal for hens at point of lay to lay a few softies before their cycle gets going? is it the feed? I use the Dumore layer. I'm very worried about my girls. HELP !!!!!!

 

[madamwlf]

Feeding rooster what the hens eat is fine. I do it with mine.

 

[GhostRider65]

TY Madamwlf..... I hope so because I really like my 2 roo's and would hate to loose them.

 

[Grand-hen-ma]

I feed my 2 roos the same thing I feed the rest of the girls and they are all in the same pens. They are healthy and happy and the roos don't fight. I have never had the soft shell but I have had the weird eggs, even egg farts. I use the Dumore at times but I really like the results of the Purena Layena. I get more eggs and the girls love it, roo's too. From what I am told, there really isn't a need to add the calcium, if you buy a good feed. But once in a while I will toss a handfull of crushed shells into the pens. When we eat eggs or I bake, I save the egg shells. Later I will crush them up and add them to a treat and feed them back to the girls. They love it!

Good luck

 

[teach1rusl]

Yep - my rooster eats whatever my hens eat too. No problems. Maybe you're thinking of the issue with feeding chicks Layer pellets/crumbles??? The calcium isn't good for chicks.

 

[Uniontown Poultry]

Totally fine for your roo to eat the layer ration your girls eat. Mine have been doing it for years, and I've never heard of a problem with anyone else's rooster either. Continue to feed the Dumor layer, make oystershell available to your girls (can scatter on ground in their pen or put in a separate hopper/feeder & they'll snack as needed. My girls turned their beaks up at the shell-feeder & prefer the shell that's in the flock block (it has scratch & what looks like & smells like molasses so I guess I'd prefer it myself). Whatever shell the roo eats from the flock block doesn't seem to hurt him any. Crushed up eggshells are good too.

As for the softies, that's totally common with started pullets. New girls have trouble sometimes getting their egg "cycles" down. One of our members had 6 Delaware pullets. 4 came right out of the gate laying those huge brown eggs Dels are known for, the other 2 laid soft shell eggs for a few weeks, then stopped completely for like 3 weeks, then started up again, laying those huge brown eggs Dels are known for. Your girls will "straighten up & [lay] right" soon enough. Hope this helps!