Leftover feed

[chickmashnoon]

Hi guys, my chickens have now officially outgrown their starter feed- I still have like 10 lbs left and i'm wondering if I can just mix it in with their new provisions until I'm out of it. Otherwise I guess I will keep it for nex years chicks if it will stay good that long. any idea on if they can continue eating it or if I can store it till next spring?

Also, I have some parakeet pellets that are fresh but the keet passed away. They are a good brand, Kaytee, and I was wondering if I can sprinkle them in with their scratch just for some colorful variety. I'm assuming that it's not nurtrtionally balanced for them but if i just use it as a treat will it hurt my laying hens?

Thanks guys!

 

[Ridgerunner]

Quote:
You can certainly mix it or just keep feeding it until it is out. There is nothing magical about following specific dates on switching. The only real rule is do not feed them the Layer until they are ready for it. The extra calcium is not good for growing chicks.

The feed will not keepm that well. It will lose quality.

I don't know what is in the pellets or how old your chickens are. I'd check it for calcium and make my decision based on that. If it is around 1% calcium, it should be a good treat. If it is higher in calcium, I'd probably wait until they are older, assuming they are below laying age. Even if it has a little more calcium than 1% in it, it probably won't hurt them if they only get a little bit, but just for the sake of good practice, I'd wait if it is very high. It is the total volume of calcium they eat in a day that is important, not a percent, but I don't have anything better than percents to go by.