Shoot! I think I messed up here :-/

[CWitty]

So my daughter (5 years old) and her little friend just dumped all of our chicken's starter feed all over the yard. When I say all over, I mean totally scattered (and I was outside with them pulling weeds and just figured they were just playing with the chickens. arg). It just rained, and of course got soaked. I had purchased layer feed when I ran my last supply run (didn't know about grower and thought the bag of starter would last until they were of age to switch). Of course the feed store is closed. Too young to go without for the evening of course. They've been pecking around outside, but still worried, I put a small bit of the layer food out. Of course look it up after I set the bowl down and learned better (realize now the implications of layer feed to any chickens under 16-18 weeks of age with high calcium content/kidney damage). FAIL

A. Will the very small portion I've given of the layer feed cause long term damage?
B. What can I use around the house for food until I can get more starter?


Thanks!

 

[pdirt]

Just feed them the layer feed until you can get some grower. A few days of it won't cause long term damage.

 

[CWitty]

Yeah, I thought I'd be ok just for the time being, but man, you look it up online and you'd think it was immediate damage! Ok, thank you so much for the quick reply. For future, is there any kitchen items like oats, yogurt, even read cat food?? that could be used in a pinch? Thanks again!

 

[pdirt]

Most things you have in the house, you can feed. Some things like wheat or peas you could feed for forever if you wanted, others like cat food should be fed short term. Green potatoes or their green skins are always a no no, but non green potatoes are fine. The other main no no is salt. They need some salt (their feed has plenty), but most prepared human food is way too salty.

The damage done by too much calcium is done over weeks or months, not hours or days. The exception is young chicks, it can mess them up much more quickly. Some people feed layer feed to their roosters and say they are fine but neglect to mention that their roosters never seem to live very long.

We never feed layer feed. We have roosters and hens that go brood often. It's easier to just feed grower feed with crushed oyster shells on the side. The hens that are currently laying eggs will gobble the oyster shell and everyone else mostly leaves it alone.

 

[CWitty]

Great info! This is very helpful. Thanks again!

 

[oldhenlikesdogs]

I will say I allowed a hen to raise a chick in the flock and I never switched to a starter, the chick grew up eating layer and whatever mom gave to it, it's fine and still in my flock 5 years later, I'll have to say that half my chickens ration is corn in some form or another, and they say not to do that either, so not everything is black or white, I'd be more worried about the spilled feed going moldy on the yard, then getting eaten, I would think that would be worse