Integration of chicks and sharing feed

[shakin_the_trees]

I have nine week old chicks that have been integrating with the adults. I bought feed that was supposed to be good for both of them, but ever since I’ve gotten the new feed I feel like our adults have not been as well as they have prior. What types of feed do people recommend for both adults and babies?

 

[nuthatched]

What are you feeding now and what we're you feeding before? What makes you think they aren't doing well?

 

[Aunt Angus]

What behaviors are you seeing? How's their poop?

I feed all flock, but a lot of people feed all of their chickens chick starter with no problems.

 

[Battlepants]

Flockraiser/All Flock should be good for your whole setup for general eating. I would also try to get some oyster shells going as a side dish for your layers to make sure their calcium is up.

But yea, as others have asked, what are you currently feeding them? And what is making you think that your older ones are not doing as well?

 

[U_Stormcrow]

All Flock/Flock Raiser plus free choice oyster shell will meet all their nutritional needs for all your birds - which is why most of us on BYC recommend it for most backayrd owners and most situations. Honestly, usually the problem is the opposite - with adults eating up the little's feed or preventing access to the feed altogether, and causing problems that way.

If your adult birds seem to be having issues - first, its unlikely feed related, unless there is something wrong with the feed itself (and then, the littles will more likely show signs of it sooner, and in greater severity) due to less developed immune response and greater dietary sensitivity owing to greater nutritional needs. and second its unlikely feed related because feed related issues (apart from aflatoxins and other molds/mildew/etc colonizations) take time to display themselves - time usually measured on the scale of months, and often escaping human observation, externally.

On what basis is the adult assessment made? Different colored poops or condition (watery, etc?). Some other measure? Look to your environment - what else has changed?

 

[shakin_the_trees]

I guess I maybe thought it was the feed, because when I started feeding the new feed they all started going down hill. But it could just be coincidence. They are using the flock rasier plus now since the integration.
After that I had one adult chicken die (which im not sure why) She just started acting weird one morning not really moving much. I picked her up examined her and then when I came home from work she was dead, in the same spot I put her down. Then I had the hawk attack which killed 2 baby chickens (see other post).

I recently just built a new coop. Which they haven't been using, but today I forced them into it. (Which im sure was stressful. But its clean and more room. I also wanted to check them because (after the feed) I noticed their feather are looking ratty, seem to have mold type spots on them, are breaking off etc. So I thought I had depluming mites or feather mites of some sort. Anyways, I put them in the coop. Examined the one I was most worried about, and now I think she has an infection of some sort! She has swelling to her belly below her vent, her feathers are all missing, and the skin is red .The swollen area is somewhat jiggly. I noticed a little bit of poop on the feathers, but no pus or foul smell. and above the vent it is some what swollen as well.

I guess im just besides myself with all the various issues going on. When Im freaking out about one thing, then I noticed more issues! On top of that, 2 of the chickens ran off under another shed on the property out of reach and are just going to have to sleep under there.
Im also wondering if I am creating new problems by adding the stress?

I have kept the babies in a secondary coop but Ive been wanting them all in the new one together, but not until I fix all of this other stuff!! I just want to cry!

 

[nuthatched]

I guess I maybe thought it was the feed, because when I started feeding the new feed they all started going down hill. But it could just be coincidence. They are using the flock rasier plus now since the integration.
After that I had one adult chicken die (which im not sure why) She just started acting weird one morning not really moving much. I picked her up examined her and then when I came home from work she was dead, in the same spot I put her down. Then I had the hawk attack which killed 2 baby chickens (see other post).

I recently just built a new coop. Which they haven't been using, but today I forced them into it. (Which im sure was stressful. But its clean and more room. I also wanted to check them because (after the feed) I noticed their feather are looking ratty, seem to have mold type spots on them, are breaking off etc. So I thought I had depluming mites or feather mites of some sort. Anyways, I put them in the coop. Examined the one I was most worried about, and now I think she has an infection of some sort! She has swelling to her belly below her vent, her feathers are all missing, and the skin is red .The swollen area is somewhat jiggly. I noticed a little bit of poop on the feathers, but no pus or foul smell. and above the vent it is some what swollen as well.

I guess im just besides myself with all the various issues going on. When Im freaking out about one thing, then I noticed more issues! On top of that, 2 of the chickens ran off under another shed on the property out of reach and are just going to have to sleep under there.
Im also wondering if I am creating new problems by adding the stress?

I have kept the babies in a secondary coop but Ive been wanting them all in the new one together, but not until I fix all of this other stuff!! I just want to cry!

That sounds like water belly or egg binding, you might want to make a post about it the illness forum

 

[U_Stormcrow]

Sorry for your stresses. What I don't know about chicken illness and injuries would fill books (and does). My suspicion would be that your babies weree carrying something that caused the adults to go downhill if the whole adult flock started doing poorly at introduction - but the symptoms you describe (hawk aside) aren't consistent with that, so i will defer to others.