how to socialize but feed separately

[autumnjanene]

I have 3 pullets (about 10 weeks old) and 2 older ones (male and female... ages unknown since they were gifted to us). I had been keeping them in separate parts of the coop that are joined by a chicken door until the little ones were big enough to hang out with the big guys. Now that they are, they began roosting together recently which is great! However, I want to be sure that the pullets are eating their grower feed and the older ones are eating their layer feed. How can I socialize them but keep them eating their respected feed?

Should I just put them in their separate coops when they wake up in the morning so they can eat separately then let them run around together in the day time?

 

[teach1rusl]

Personally, I think your best bet is buy Flock Raiser, or something similar. It's safe for chicks up through adults, although you'd have to offer oyster shell or crushed egg shells on the side free choice, because it doesn't have the higher calcium of layer feed. That's what I go to when I'm integrating different ages - and nothing is wasted, because you can still mix it into the layer feed when the youngsters are old enough for that...
If you want them socialized together, that's the easiest way, imo, because there's really no way to keep feed separate when birds are together. You can keep olders out of chick feeders by making small openings through fence, but you can't keep chicks out of older's feed...

 

[autumnjanene]

Good point. I just bought the little guys a new bag of grower feed but I'll switch the older ones over to flock raiser since they're just about done with their layer feed.

 

[Fred's Hens]

Flock Raiser is pretty much just a nice name for a high quality Grower anyhow.

For fun sometime, just compare DuMor's Start 'N Grow (non medicated) to Purina Flock Raiser, side by side, at a TSC. Virtually the same. But, about $4 in price difference. Go figure.