I have 11 laying hens and 1 rooster in my coop. I moved my brooder out there 2 weeks ago when the babies were 5 weeks old ( from Meyer hatchery: 2 Welsummers, 2 Cuckoo Marans, 1 Andalusian). I have been leaving the top of the brooder (wooden box with hardware cloth facing) open for the little ones to get some freedom. They can leave the coop but they usually just stay in there and play during daylight hours. I have my adult birds on Blue Seal layer crumble, and the younger ones I switched over to Purina Start and Grow (non medicated). The big birds will mostly chase the babies away from their feeder and the babies happily eat their own food. Every once in a while I will catch them eating each others food. The layer crumbles has too much calcium for the babies and I know can be harmful. Th Start and Grow doesn't have enough calcium for the adults so how can I find that happy medium? Since my adult birds free range all day the babies are having a blast outside of the brooder and I don't want to separate them now. They all get along fine and at night I have all the babies sleep inside the brooding box and close the lid so they are safe when everyone is in for the night.
My biggest concern is the babies at only 7 weeks old getting too much calcium from the adults food. What can I do?
My biggest concern is the babies at only 7 weeks old getting too much calcium from the adults food. What can I do?