Integrating and changing feed??

[nakstk]

My 5 SS pullets will be a year old in about a week. I have three 11 week old pullets that I want to integrate. I have had the little chicks in a run that uses one of the main run sides so the chickens have seen each other everyday for the last 6 or 7 weeks and they do fine when they are out free ranging together. But they have not shared a feeder yet. I know there are tons of people out there that have done this before me so please help me out!

My 11 week olds are still on Medicated Chick Starter.
I know I can't feed my older girls the medicated feed and I dont know if the little ones are big enough to eat the pellets. My older girls are SO messy when they get crumble so I hate buying them. What are your suggestion!!!??? Do I buy them Non medicated crumble and mix it with the pellets or just put two different feeders in their run?

Thanks
Niki

 

[Den in Penn]

The chicks no longer need the medicated feed. And they are a little young to get the layer feed with the extra calcium. No point in having two feeders with two different feeds, they always eat from the one you don't want them to. Does your feed store have a pelleted all flock or grower? If you range them a lot, diluting the calcium by mixing could work. My choice would be to use a straight grower or all flock.

 

[Judy]

The 11 week olds are old enough to eat layer pellets. Also. the medicated starter won't hurt the layers and you can eat the eggs. Of course, medicated starter doesn't have enough calcium for layers. You could probably get away with it short term, or perhaps mixing the two to transition everyone. If you offer oyster shell separately, that of course should ensure the layers get enough calcium.

If the young ones resist the pellets, I'd try breaking them up a bit to get them used to them -- not every pellet, just some of them. I've never had a problem feeding pellets (they will eat what's there when they get hungry enough) but some people say their chickens refuse.

 

[teach1rusl]

I agree with Den - offer something similar to Flock Raiser for the next 6 - 8 weeks. I'd still use two feeders so the young ones aren't run off from food, but the same food in both. You can use up the rest of the layer pellets when they're old enough for them... You will want to offer oyster shell free choice on the side for your layers.

 

[yo burrill]

You need to introduce them to pellets slowly. I had three chicks I lost cause they refused to eat the pellets. I had them out in the run and saw them scratching and nibbling on grass so thought they were eating... they weren't. So mix some in with the crumbles for a few days and make sure they are eating them before switching to straight pellets. I learned the hard way...

 

[nakstk]

Thanks for all the advice everyone. I am going to finish off their little bag of medicated feed and start them on some all purpose poultry & water fowl crumble. I have been feeding them Manna Pro chick starter and the new stuff is Albers brand (Purina's off brand) which is the brand I feed my other chickens. I don't want them to be picky and refuse to eat it. So should I mix it 50/50 with their left over medicated so its not a huge change? I know that will change the effectiveness of the medicated feed but they are 11.5 week so I know they don't really need medicated anymore.

 

[Tsehey]

Hi, I only have three little bantams and now 7 chicks. I would like the 2 chicks I am keeping in together with the older hens but the chicks are only 6 weeks old and still need the chick crumbs which up until now mum has been sharing. She needs to go back onto layers pellets but the chicks shouldn't eat these so how can I sort this out? And will mum protect the baby chicks from the other hens?

 

[teach1rusl]

Nakstk - you can mix the med. in with the poultry crumble just to use it up. I think they'd eat the crumble just fine without doing that, but it won't hurt anything.


Tsehey - as we were suggesting to Nakstk, the best way is just to put everyone on some kind of general flock raiser feed and offer oyster shell free choice on the side (just keep a small dish out) for the layers. That way everyone gets what they need for this time. Yes, if the chicks are just a few weeks old, mama should protect them, but do watch closely for the first day or two just to make sure.

 

[IttyBiddyRedHen]

I'v just been sprinkling the layer feed into the baby chicks tractor..... after we put them outside at 4 weeks. They think it is a treat...and gobble it all up. Not too much...just a taste. The other day, I moved the chicks to the same spot as the grown chickens, so they can get acquainted. The chicks are growing out of the tractor fast...as we have 3 BR and 8 marans. Much larger that our OEGB. We are building a bigger yard and coop to put them all into ...hopefully within the next 3 weeks.

 

[nakstk]

Update All my chickens did well on the crumble feed and have since been switched back to layer pellets. After nearly 2 weeks of having 2 the two runs connecting open to all of them they established a peaking order. There was a few feather and comb pulling fights. One of my Wellies lost the tip of one of her points on her comb but it was not that bad. We had two coops for them and last night was the first night ever that the pullets slept in the hens coop. we let them set the pace. Both coops were open each evening for them to choose where to sleep. Finally they chose the big coop, things went very smoothly. Much better then I expected.