I would not be feeding my show-quality silkies anything I didn't think would be great for them to grow well, look good, and help prevent the vitamin deficiencies they are known for getting.
I would also like answers to this question. I've had chickens for 15 years and never had a predator get inside my run until last week. My run is divided and I had three 16-week-old chickens separated from the rest of the flock but within visual. I looked out the door to see what one of the dogs was playing with and noticed a carcass laying on my patio. I went out to check and did a headcount in the adult Coop and there were nine instead of eight. My cream leg bar chick had managed to find her way in there. I went out and went around to where the three young chicks should be and one was still there. Perfectly fine. Sitting next to the gate into the run for older chickens and found a young possum eating chick feed in the young chicks Coop. I put the other young chick in with the adults as they're 16 weeks old and pretty much the same size. My question is can they all eat regular layer feed or do I need to try to mix some chick starter in with it? I feed eggshells back to the chickens and in 15 years have never had any chickens eat any of the oyster shell or grit that I leave on the side so I don't put it out anymore. Any advice would be great! Don't want these young chicks to suffer from eating an extra 2 to 3 weeks of layer feed when they're not laying yet. But also don't want my adults to stop laying because they don't have enough calcium by eating chick starter. I still don't know how the dogs got the carcass onto the patio. There's no evidence of anything being able to get into my run but there's not much I can do about it now that it's dead.
I feed a mix but it's because I serve both fermented feed and dry feed. Primarily they're supposed to eat FF (especially in the winter when they're not laying), but it's too hard to figure out exactly how much of it they'll eat in a given day so by having dry feed on the side it eliminates the issue with wasted feed.
I would feed everyone chick starter and provide oyster shell on the side, of they don't like crushed, you can try flaked, some birds like that better. Layer feed has too much calcium and too little protein for chicks
Personally until the young ones start laying the entire group would be on starter or all flock. While yours are pretty close to the "cut off" on many layer feed instructions, it's possible some won't start laying until several weeks past the 18 week mark so I'd want them to continue to receive extra protein and less calcium until then.
