tell me how bad I've messed up

[Yanna]

Thank you, Steve, for posting the link.

I'm going out of town for a week and will find them some chick ration when I return.

My next question, in light of this new information, is how to deal with the issue of feeding a rooster who's in with the layers. Should I just put them all on flock ration with extra oyster shell out for the girls or is that adequate?

I now have 50# of Layena sitting around and they will probably only need 1/5th of the chick ration before they're ready to move on to regular feed. :|

 

[gritsar]

Quote:
The layena is fine for the roosters, according to the people at Purina.

 

[cjeanean]

I have a bunch of mixed ages and can't separate them for feeding, so I just feed all purpose poultry to all of them and give oyster shell free choice. The oyster shell is up high so that the younger chicks can't get it, and it's in a container that's too unstable for the younger ones to perch on. I don't know if it provides the older ones with all they need, but apparently it's doing okay cause they're laying! Good luck!!!

 

[Katy]

I feed mine Flock Raiser and put oyster shell out for the girls who are laying.

 

[digitS']

I think the laying hen is likely to self-monitor her need for calcium. In a mixed flock, putting out oyster shell with something like Flock Raiser makes a good deal of sense to me.

If you are concerned about excess calcium for the roosters - here's what a poultry science specialist writing for the Ministry of Agriculture, Ontario has to say: "It is also interesting to realize that most roosters today are fed high-calcium breeder diets, which provide 4-6x their calcium needs, yet kidney dysfunction is quite rare in these birds."

So he may well say that your adult roosters on laying feed should be okay since that feed has the same high level of calcium as the breeder rations. The difference for the youngsters is probably that they are growing and, therefore, have problems with a calcium imbalance.

Steve