how to feed when introducing new chickens?

[bells brood]

I have 5 chickens 3 months old and just received six new borns. in two to three months when I should be 'mixing' them, the older ones will switch to a layer type food, while the young ones will need a grower food. any suggestions on what I should do other than build a separate coop and keeping them separated until the young are 6 months?

 

[chfite]

You can continue to provide grower feed for all of them and supply a dish of oyster shell on the side when the older ones start to lay. The ones needing the supplemental calcium will eat the oyster shell. The others won't.

I built another coop with a common run area separated with fencing.

Chris

 

[five is my dog]

you can just feed them the grower like chris said. but its ok if the babys get a bite or 2 of layer feed. mine do all the time they are 6 weeks and they eat it all the time.

 

[donrae]

What Chris said. I feed everyone an all-in-one type feed and toss oyster shell in the run once in a while. That way I have a good feed for everyone, newly hatched babies to mature layers, and both genders. Laying birds don't need layer feed, per se, they just need access to the extra calcium and the oyster shell does that nicely.

 

[bells brood]

thanks. thought I might have had to build a temp coop.

appreciate the advice ... jim