is baby feed just ground up laying pellets?

[castrbl]

Everyone has an opinion., "I" don't see any sides here, just a bunch of experienced folks giving good advice to the OP asked for and ignored, then became hostile because no one wanted to tell the OP that laying feed "causes chickens to lay more than the one or two eggs per month" whomever told the OP this "stuff" needs to be educated as well.

In MY humble opinion

yea i became hostile because im being accused of killing my bird when i am not putting her in any harm at all.

 

[PouleChick]

No one has said that you are killing your chick, just that:
a/ chickens lay anywhere from daily to a few times a week and need calcium (either in the form of layer food or some sort of all flock food (either pellets or grains or a combo) with oyster shell on the side free choice). Layer feed means it has calcuim added not that it will artificially increase your egg production. To remain healthy this is really important, obviously she is still tiny so you have another 10 weeks or so to decide how you would like to feed her to keep her as healthy as you can in the lead up to and into her laying life.
b/ chickens are flock animals in a way that some other birds aren't. I have read of chickens not thriving when kept apart from other chickens. It may seem she 'doesn't like' other animals but she was probably just frightened when you showed her your cousins birds as she may not know what thye are if she has always just been with you. Integration takes time. Could you possibly get another chick to keep her company?

 

[Melky]

Castrbl no language please. I saw a few concerning posts. Two wrongs do not make it right here either. I think she does care about her chicken or she would not ask questions. I think she does realize that Hatchery and poultry experts would recommend for your bird up to 7 weeks of age 20 % medicated starter feed or a starter grower feed. She does need chick grit offered all the time. At 8 weeks the chicken should receive unmedicated grower feed and a protein of 16-18% here is ok. The grit size will increase to grower or poultry grit. Offering greens from chicken or garden is ok, dried mealworms, fruits, veggies etc. Having water and food available all day is important and does not need to be at night now example after dark. At 17 weeks 15-16% layer food either in pellets or crumble is recommended. Also offer poultry grit. By 15 weeks the hen will require oyster shell. These are the basics and outside time is great! It sounds like you are already doing this and so great job. Do you have a house outside for her. By 6-8 weeks the hens are usually feathered out and ready to go outside in a chicken coop. They usually love the transition but whatever decisions you make I hope both of you are doing well. I think flockraiser was another recommendation and it would be ok but usually reserved for farmers who have birds of all different ages from youngsters on up. Oh I mentioned grower feed at 8 weeks but starter grower feed is still ok here. I used starter grower feed here because you can use it till adult and laying at which point I am switching to 16% layer feed because it is nutritionally what is recommended and cheaper. Best of luck! I know you will be fine.

 

[Cyprus]

OOOOOOOOKKKAAAAYYYY
Let's put some ice on this wound.

@castrbl May I kindly voice my opinion and support for you? I do support your good intentions and actually, I have some advice for you that you may like and take kindly to. However, I am not going to help you if you are going to get defensive.

 

[EggWalrus]

how do you expect me to react when a bunch of people are getting onto me for supposedly killing my bird when she is perfectly happy and healthy ??

First, This is not an attack on you.

Second, everyone here only wants what is best for you AND your bird.

I have a grandson that's a pain. I havenoticed he wants to live in a make believe fantasy world where Lies=Truth, Wrong=Right, Boys are really just Girls with a Bleep.

You can walk outside, come back in and tell him its raining and he'll call you a liar because he's not wet sitting in the house. But that's him, he's a dumb a$$.

But you are not a pain.
You have managed to keep this precious little ball of fluff alive. And we all want for that love and care to continue in the best possible way for your little bird who can't make choices for itself.

Here on BYC you will find the best educated and experienced chicken keepers in the world. Once in a while you may come across bad advise, but it is usually corrected by more knowledgeable members quite rapidly.

Even if 99% of the ingredients of chick feed and layer feed are the same, they have different proportions that birds at different stages of life need.
Cakes and cookies have 99% of the same ingredients, but if you don't follow the correct proportions in a recipe, you may wind up with brownies or something you would not want to eat.

Please don't take any advise here as an attack on you personally. Just because they recommend a better method of doing things, it's not an attack, just an education. If you don't agree, simply research it and find out why they do things differently than you have. You may find it makes everything in life easier by taking the advise of those who did it wrong the first time and learned from mistakes. You can learn the secrets without having to fail yourself.

But my grandson will never learn.

 

[Melky]

First, This is not an attack on you.

Second, everyone here only wants what is best for you AND your bird.

I have a grandson that's a dumbass. I have noticed that not just him, but lots of kids these days want to live in a make believe fantasy world where Lies=Truth, Wrong=Right, Boys are really Girls with a D!č ķ.

You can walk outside, come back in and tell him its raining and he'll call you a liar because he's not wet sitting in the house. But that's him, he's a dumb ass tard.

But you are not a dumbass.
You have managed to keep this precious little ball of fluff alive. And we all want for that love and care to continue in the best possible way for your little bird who can't make choices for itself.

Here on BYC you will find the best educated and experienced chicken keepers in the world. Once in a while you may come across bad advise, but it is usually corrected by more knowledgeable members quite rapidly.

Even if 99% of the ingredients of chick feed and layer feed are the same, they have different proportions that birds at different stages of life need.
Cakes and cookies have 99% of the same ingredients, but if you don't follow the correct proportions in a recipe, you may wind up with brownies or something you would not want to eat.

Please don't take any advise here as an attack on you personally. Just because they recommend a better method of doing things, it's not an attack, just an education. If you don't agree, simply research it and find out why they do things differently than you have. You may find it makes everything in life easier by taking the advise of those who did it wrong the first time. You can learn the secrets without having to fail yourself.

But my grandson will never learn,
CAUSE HE'S A DUMBASS!

Can you please clean this up? Honestly he means well. I think this is some kind of apology. I think you will find mostly good advice here is what he is trying to say and just warning of the dangers when we think too far out of the box. Stick with the guidelines you can’t go wrong. It’s a sure bet to success!

 

[IdyllwildAcres]

i have stated she does not like other chickens. she is not going outside she is an indoor pet. she goes outside sometimes but doesnt enjoy it much, i have to force her. she is mine. i know her behavior.

Oh ok, you clearly know whats best and are so super smart, all these experienced people here trying to help you and that poor chicken must have it wrong.

Gary

 

[Cyprus]

There is a pecking order in chicken society. She is likely trying to establish dominance instead of being scared of other chickens.
I recommend a less productive breed like a Cornish, Brahma or D'Uccle.
Outright, she is going to lay an egg starting at about 6 months unless you virtually starve her.

So here's what I suggest. Build her a coop. I don't care if it's in your bedroom or your backyard; just build her a coop so she has a secure place to sleep at night. It will also make her far happier because she will feel like she has an area to retreat to for privacy and safety.
If you are willing, get her an OLDER friend. It will increase her mental and physical health having another chicken around because as hard as all of us animal lovers try, we cannot replicate everything about another species. It is just not possible. There are studies out there to prove that chickens create best friends and that same-species companionship can lengthen a chicken's lifespan. There will be a few spats, but then things will settle.

Second, keeping her exclusively indoors is actually bad for her overall health. There is a bacteria called Coccidiosis that can seriously harm or kill a chicken when the population of bacteria grows to large. One way that this can happen is when a chicken kept inside its whole life is introduced to the outdoors. It kills very quick. I had this happen to my chicks that lived in the house for the first two months of their lives and were treated like human babies.
To combat this I recommend bringing in clods of dirt and grass from your yard every week.

For a non commercial diet I recommend a diet of 60% wheat, 20% Soy Protein, 10% barley, oats and various other cereal grains and 10% veggies % fruits. (I am aware that more specific diets exist but this is pretty general for nutrition and maintenance).
I have heard that some good free choice mineral supplements for chickens are kelp, dried parsley, dried marigold petals, oyster shell, and grit for digestion. A little Diatomaceous Earth mixed into her feed will help boost her metabolism as well

If you have any more questions about feeding a non commercial diet feel free to ask me. I didn't feed commercial for 3 months straight and my hens were THRIVING.

 

[EggWalrus]

There is a pecking order in chicken society. She is likely trying to establish dominance instead of being scared of other chickens.
I recommend a less productive breed like a Cornish, Brahma or D'Uccle.
Outright, she is going to lay an egg starting at about 6 months unless you virtually starve her.

So here's what I suggest. Build her a coop. I don't care if it's in your bedroom or your backyard; just build her a coop so she has a secure place to sleep at night. It will also make her far happier because she will feel like she has an area to retreat to for privacy and safety.
If you are willing, get her an OLDER friend. It will increase her mental and physical health having another chicken around because as hard as all of us animal lovers try, we cannot replicate everything about another species. It is just not possible. There are studies out there to prove that chickens create best friends and that same-species companionship can lengthen a chicken's lifespan. There will be a few spats, but then things will settle.

Second, keeping her exclusively indoors is actually bad for her overall health. There is a bacteria called Coccidiosis that can seriously harm or kill a chicken when the population of bacteria grows to large. One way that this can happen is when a chicken kept inside its whole life is introduced to the outdoors. It kills very quick. I had this happen to my chicks that lived in the house for the first two months of their lives and were treated like human babies.
To combat this I recommend bringing in clods of dirt and grass from your yard every week.

For a non commercial diet I recommend a diet of 60% wheat, 20% Soy Protein, 10% barley, oats and various other cereal grains and 10% veggies % fruits. (I am aware that more specific diets exist but this is pretty general for nutrition and maintenance).
I have heard that some good free choice mineral supplements for chickens are kelp, dried parsley, dried marigold petals, oyster shell, and grit for digestion. A little Diatomaceous Earth mixed into her feed will help boost her metabolism as well

If you have any more questions about feeding a non commercial diet feel free to ask me. I didn't feed commercial for 3 months straight and my hens were THRIVING.

I agree 100% with every thing but the feed, sorta. If the chicken gets a good portion of its nutrition from foraging then it's hard to misfeed them, other than too many treats. But if the only feed they get is from you, it would probably be better for the bird to give it an organic commercial feed or make it yourself if you can afford to purchase the quantities of all ingredients and follow a reliable recipe that will supply the bird with all necessary nutrients for it to thrive, not just survive. Best of luck to you and your bird what ever you decide.

 

[Yorkshire Coop]

Thank you all for the participation in this thread. It is now time to close it to further replies.

Thank you.

*BYC STAFF*