Old enough for Tough Love?

[2DogsFarm]

OK - my babies are now 4mos old.
They freerange daily with the Big Girls & roost at night in their own section of the coop or sometimes right alongside the hens.
The hens still chase them off sometimes, but halfheartedly, no violence or bloodshed.

I had sectioned off part of the coop and fed the babies in there but today
I removed the partition and just set their feeder out.
My thought was the hens know where their feeder is and after eating head right out so will probably ignore the grower feed in the smaller feeder.
The babies don't eat a lot in the morning, they eat a bit then go out to freerange with the flock right away.

Feeders are left out all day so hens & chicks can free feed.
I remove both feeders at night as I've had a rat problem and removing the buffet from the coop has helped a lot.

Will the babies get enough grower this way?
They are both big & strong-looking - especially I-Told-You-NOT-To-Be-A-Rooster (formerly Juanita, now John) but little Consuelo is near his size too.
I plan on switching them to layer feed in a month anyhow & have seen them sneaking pellets from the hens' feeder.

 

[Judy]

I think 4 months is probably old enough not to worry about how eats what. Some pullets do start laying that young. JMO.

 

[gryeyes]

I couldn't keep my Big Chickens out of the grower feed. Got a few soft-shelled eggs before I realized ALL the hens were doing it.

So now I feed everybody grower, no layer feed at all - but there is always crushed oyster shell out for 'em. Problem solved.

 

[2DogsFarm]

Thanks!

ddawn:
My hens started laying around 5-6mos so I figured these babies were getting there.
The pullet still hasn't developed much in thr way of comb or wattles.
Unlike her brother...
At least he promises to be a handsome roo

gryeyes:
Yup - the Big girls LOFF the grower.
I do keep crushed oyster shell available at all times so I guess I'll just let everyone eat what they want.

sigh.....due to a Coordinated Moult I only have one laying right now

The only one laying is the one who did NOT moult!
I did see my Houdan - the one who went broody in June, moulted in August and has always considered laying more of a gift than an obligation - sitting in a nest box.
And color is returning slooooooowly to the others' combs.
So there is Hope I may soon get more than 1 egg per day.