Mixed cracked corn and oats with leftover medicated chick feed????

[chick-n-momma]

I mixed 50 lb cracked corn and oats with about 15 lb of medicated chick feed and started feeding new 1 year olds and 7 week olds. I just read a post that said layers should not eat medicated feed. Why not? What will it do? I just gave a dozen eggs to hubby's grandma.....

 

[Fred's Hens]

There isn't much of an issue with the med blocker for cocci, but I still would rather not feed it to hens in any great amount or with regularity.

The chicks having cracked corn and grains will need grit to work that coarse stuff through their systems. Also, you've lowered the protein and mineral content of the commercial feed considerably. If half the mix is 8% protein grains (oats, corn, etc) and half the mix is 16% commercial feed, the result would be 12% protein, which is pretty low. I'd mix grains 1/3 into a 20% protein feed and achieve a protein blend of 16%. That would be what I'd do, but YMMV.

50 lbs of what is essentially scratch, mixed with only 15 lbs of feed would result in only 10% protein.

 

[chick-n-momma]

Whewww! We will resolve the food issue first thing in the morning! The chicks will go back to chick feed! They have access to sand but I don't want to give them anything that's not good for them. Are the older hens ok with the scratch? We also mix in oyster shell. Thanks for your help!!