How should chicks be before switching them from "baby food" to adult food?

[stillok]

We have 8 chicks which are 3-4 months old that we have put in with our 3 older hens. We don't have a good way of separating them since we only have one coop. We feed the older hens Layer pellets. So, this food is available to the youngsters. We were feeding the chicks medicated chick feed before we put them in with the hens. I've noticed the youngsters have runny "poop" now and am wondering if the change in diet is the cause and how to handle this situation. Would appreciate any help. Thanks.

 

[Judy]

Layer should not be fed til 16 to 18 weeks to avoid organ damage. It's actually best to wait til they start laying, or at least develp the red comb, etc. that means laying is about to start. Simply feed the whole flock the starter or grower the chicks need, or you can use a flock raiser feed for them. You can even feed laying hens starter with amprolium and eat the eggs, as the amprolium basically stays in the chicken's gut.

http://www.hyline.com/aspx/redbook/redbook.aspx?s=5&p=36 (A long article, but scroll down a ways and find nutrition.)

 

[Peeps61]

I'd say your chicks are old enough to eat the layer feed, especially since some of them (depending on breed) may start laying at 16 weeks. I think the runny poop is just a side effect of the feed change and they will adjust. Just keep an eye on them and make sure they have plenty of water to drink! You might add electrolytes to their water if it continues for more than a day or two.

 

[cackleberrycam]

Layer should not be fed til 16 to 18 weeks to avoid organ damage. It's actually best to wait til they start laying, or at least develp the red comb, etc. that means laying is about to start. Simply feed the whole flock the starter or grower the chicks need, or you can use a flock raiser feed for them. You can even feed laying hens starter with amprolium and eat the eggs, as the amprolium basically stays in the chicken's gut.

http://www.hyline.com/aspx/redbook/redbook.aspx?s=5&p=36 (A long article, but scroll down a ways and find nutrition.)

x2

 

[3riverschick]

Hi,

Judy is right. You can also feed chick adult grit at this point. When I have this age mix in my flock,
I put everyone on Flockraiser. You can also provide sprouted forage oats to the hens. It will help
bring them into lay, is great for developing chicks, and helps the males produce more robust sperm
to help result in more robust chicks. Win. win, win. I feed 4-7 day old sprouted Plotspike Forage Oats.
http://www.plotspike.com/ I buy 50 lbs. for 25.00 at Tractor Supply.
One cubic inch per bird per day to bowel tolerance. If the bowels get a bit soft back off a bit and they
will firm back up. Here's a fuller explanation of sprouting forage oats: Pages 24 thru 29.
https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/425134/anybody-raise-sprouts-to-feed-the-chickens/230
Fresh, crisp , the birds relish them.
Best,
Karen

 

[stillok]

Thanks to everyone who responded. I went to the feed store and bought more chick feed and am now feeding this to both old and young chickens because I have no way of separating them. I'm so glad that I asked about this. Otherwise, I might have hurt the little ones. As of yet, there are 4 of the 8 youngsters who have combs developing and 4 that do not. I believe the 4 with combs are probably roosters. So, this brings up a entirely different topic ..... whether to keep a rooster or not! We paid extra when we got our first chickens and bought pullets, so we've never had a rooster before.

 

[Wantaraisechick]

I should have read this post before I submitted my post about adding 8 week old chicks with older ones. Good information

 

[Judy]

Don't just go by the comb size, It depends on the breed as well as individual variation. Especially with hatchrey chicks, you will see a lot of difference in combs between the hens. At 12 weeks you should really be hearing a crow, soon if not now. If you can post pics, you might make a thread in "What Breed or Gender is This?" and our experts will probably know, at 3-4 months.

 

[stillok]

These are Rhode Island Reds. In the foreground is one of the roosters and to the right is one of the hens. As you can see, the hens do not have combs yet. I believe we got them as 3-4 day old chicks around the first of April. So, they are at least 12 weeks old. The roosters do not crow yet. I've not even heard them attempt to crow.