My Red Stars just started laying

[Balloonjuice]

I have 24 Red Stars (red sex links) that arrived as day-old chicks on Feb 18th of this year. I've moved them from the brooder to the hen house a couple of months ago and for the last month or so I've been letting them free range. They don't go too far, but we have a heavily wooded property, so it's easy to lose track of them. Here are a couple of question that I have.

1. Should I consider putting ceramic eggs in the nesting boxes, not to keep the ladies from laying on the floor so much as to keep them from laying in the woods?

2. I have about 100 lbs of chick starter. Is it mandatory (or at least expedient) that I begin feeding them layer formula crumbles in place of the chick starter crumbles I've been feeding them? For economical purposes, can I just keep feeding starter crumbles until they are gone and then on my next purchase buy layer feed?

What say the experts?

 

[Kelsie2290]

Pretty eggs! Like a lot of people, I always keep fake eggs in the nest boxes... to help tempt them to lay in the boxes since chickens like boxes other chickens like, and do think it helps with preventing egg eating. With free range birds, if they have access to a lot of places outside that they would consider a good place to hide egg you may have problems anyhow... I wind up putting "hidden" nests outside for them and just collecting eggs out of them like normal (old dog houses, buckets etc) it seems to keep the girls that want to hide eggs happy and I still get the eggs.
You can feed the chick starter, just have oyster shell on the side available for the girls... a lot of people with a mixed flock feed an All-Flock type food to all their birds and oyster shell one the side for the ones that need it. Most chicken feed is pretty similar, the Layer just has more Calcium and is a little lower in protein than the average Starter.

 

[Balloonjuice]

Thanks Kelsie. I'll pick up some oyster shell and put it out for the ladies. I'll also place some 5 gallon buckets here and there in places I know they like to frequent. Great idea that. Thanks again.

 

[RonP]

Pretty eggs! Like a lot of people, I always keep fake eggs in the nest boxes... to help tempt them to lay in the boxes since chickens like boxes other chickens like, and do think it helps with preventing egg eating. With free range birds, if they have access to a lot of places outside that they would consider a good place to hide egg you may have problems anyhow... I wind up putting "hidden" nests outside for them and just collecting eggs out of them like normal (old dog houses, buckets etc) it seems to keep the girls that want to hide eggs happy and I still get the eggs.
You can feed the chick starter, just have oyster shell on the side available for the girls... a lot of people with a mixed flock feed an All-Flock type food to all their birds and oyster shell one the side for the ones that need it. Most chicken feed is pretty similar, the Layer just has more Calcium and is a little lower in protein than the average Starter.

I do exactly as said.

I have a mixed aged flock, giving layer feed to younger birds is not advisable.
The extra calcium could be harmful.

I let the flock choose what they want to eat, they seem to know.

 

[Balloonjuice]

Thanks to both of you, RonP and Kelsie. I picked up some oyster shell while at the feed mill yesterday. Will set it out today and let whichever of the ladies wants it take it.