I have 3 rir & 3 ee 6 wks old & 6 20 wk olds (2 roos), my hens have started laying and went to purchase food. Wanted something I could feed all of then once my 6 WK old are off starter.Local feed store said layer will be ok for all of them once 6 wk olds were 10 wks old. She said the 16% is ok. Should I have went w/ flock raiser or will this be ok?
I mixed the two, great stuff! My flock consisted of one and half month old chicks to four year old hens. Great all around and they get what they need!
I've read that Layer formulas have too much calcium in them for young pullets. It may cause them to be egg bound when they become laying age. Roosters can eat anything. I seriously would consider Flock Raiser. It's made for starting, growing and finishing. Provide Oyster shell and/or egg shells for calcium. HTH, Lisa
Yeah...I'm in the same boat, as I read that the calcium in layer feed wasn't appropriate for chicks. But when you have a mixed flock, you can only do so much. So my 12 week old is getting the same layer feed as my 15 weeker, same as my year olds. If they were totally free ranging, they'd all be getting the same things... Maybe it's not ideal, but I can live with it.
It is not such a big deal but with Flock Raiser its a good feed for all around but I have laying hens so the combo of two bags mixed in one container, the chickens get the benefit all around. The broody moms feed their chicks the same thing and I never had any problems yet with this combo. Whatever works, it works for some. Flock Raiser is by far the best I've used on my "all ages" flock and if I didn't have Layena, I would supplement with calcuim.
The extra calcium in layer can be bad for young chicks. It can damage their liver. It is not that their liver is going to explode the first time they take a bite of oyster shell, but over time, it can cause damage. I don't know what the right age is that extra calcium does not hurt them. They don't need it until they are laying, so that is one consideration. The university and extension websites recommend waiting until they are 20 weeks or start laying and these are people that have studied chickens in great detail, but that recommendation may be more economic than health related. Why spend money feeding oyster shell if it is not needed. I've used the16% grower with oyster shell on the side and it worked out OK. In my opinion, it is the best I can do. Good luck!
I have mixed ages of pullets and hens and began feeding Purina Flock Raiser to everyone. My egg production has been down and that is why I went to flock raiser as well as having varying ages....egg production is still down and I have some pullets that are 25 weeks SLW's and have not started laying yet...I'm not creating a problem by feeding everyone flock raiser am I???
