Layer Feed For 12 Week Olds?

[mrstillery09]

Our chicks are going to be 12 weeks this coming Wednesday. We recently had to move so my mom and dad are taking care of our chickens. I told them exactly what type of feed to buy, starter/grower, but when they went to the store they only had layer. They ate that for a few days until I saw what they bought and got what they should be eating. They are almost done eating the last bag of starter/grower and my mom and dad want to start feeding them the layer that they had bought. Would this be ok, or should I go ahead and buy them more starter/grower. We have 9 hens and 1 rooster. Any advice is greatly appreciated!

 

[Kikiriki]

Put that layer feed in the fridge and save it...DO NOT USE IT!!

Found on page four from the PDF provided by the Cooperative Extensuion Service, University of Kentucky, College of Agriculture:

 Why have my hens stopped laying?
Jacquie Jacob, Tony Pescatore and Austin Cantor

"Young birds should NOT be fed a high calcium layer diet because the calcium/phosphorus ra- tio will be unbalanced for their needs, resulting in increased morbidity or mortality."

http://www.ca.uky.edu/smallflocks/Factsheets/Why_have_my_hens_stopped_laying_eggs.pdf

 

[leadwolf1]

Put that layer feed in the fridge and save it...DO NOT USE IT!!
Found on page four from the PDF provided by the Cooperative Extensuion Service, University of Kentucky, College of Agriculture:
Why have my hens stopped laying?
Jacquie Jacob, Tony Pescatore and Austin Cantor
"Young birds should NOT be fed a high calcium layer diet because the calcium/phosphorus ra- tio will be unbalanced for their needs, resulting in increased morbidity or mortality."
http://www.ca.uky.edu/smallflocks/Factsheets/Why_have_my_hens_stopped_laying_eggs.pdf

Agreed!

 

[Fred's Hens]

X3

Layer is laced with 3x the level of calcium. A laying hen can expel that calcium, in the eggshell, but a pre-laying pullet has a difficult task of ridding her body of that unused and unneeded calcium. It taxes the urinary tract and kidneys and has often been found to be quite damaging as a result. A damage you can't see.