So if you let your hens raise your hatchery day-old chicks...

[bawkbawkbawk]

How do you manage the food?

The babies can't eat the layer crumble, right? So how do you make sure all parties are eating the right food?

 

[Judy]

Feed everyone what the chicks are eating and offer oyster shell separately. I understand you can eat the eggs while feeding medicated (with amprolium) eggs as it mostly stays is the chicken's digestive system.

 

[ralleia]

I've tried letting everyone eat the chick feed, but the big hens normally scratch and dump all the chick feeders. I can't stay out there refilling the things every fifteen minutes to make sure that the chicks get food. So last time I affixed the chick feeders to a big plywood base so they couldn't get dumped, and then used plastic playyard gates to segregate the chicks from the main flock.

Once the chicks got big enough to be able to reach the main feeder (with the help of cinder block steps) then I just let them all eat chick feed. I don't use medicated feed anyway.

 

[bawkbawkbawk]

And if you're separating the chicks from the flock, how do they keep warm?

 

[secuono]

Broody hen with chicks separated from the flock, mom will do the heating. All you need to do is give water and food.
I feed mom and chicks the chick starter/grower. I do not give oyster shells, mom isn't laying so I don't bother.

 

[ralleia]

Sorry, not from the *whole* flock. The chicks are with the mommas that adopted them--momma keeps them warm and dry.

 

[Judy]

I just contine to feed in the adult feeders, which are hanging, so the chicks can't reach the feed. Then I use one of those self-filling cat food feeders fir the chicks. The hens also eat out of them some, but there's enough in there to last a couple of days anyway.

 

[speakup4kids]

Even if the adults dump the feed, the chicks will scratch and dig for it after the first day or so. I have four out with my five hens and they are fine. My hens are co-parenting and all four chicks eat, drink and are healthy. One of my hens dumps the dang feed about two minutes after I fill up the feeder every day, yet the chicks seemed to figure out real fast where the food goes when it gets dumped out.