Three week old chicks eating Flock Raiser?

[Poonchie's Mama]

So, I had Mama hatch out two chicks and I incubated three more. It was a staggered hatch and Mama freaked out when the late comers started to hatch and kicked it out of the nest with the other eggs. We rescued the hatched chick and the other two eggs. The two hatched about a week after the two Mama hatched.
I kept Mama and her two chicks in a brooder pen for the first few weeks and the other three in the brooder for about two weeks. We let Mama and the chicks out of the brooder and she took very good care of them. She went into the coop at night and snuggled in with them oin a nesting box. We were moving the other three to the outside brooder pen and when Mama saw those chicks, she freaked out. I guess people are right when they say that chickens cannot count, because she thought they were her chicks too! So, she adopted them and they are doing fairly well all with Mama.

So...the question is, I have been feeding everyone Flock Raiser with a side of Oyster Shell if they want it. Are the chicks ok to be eating this? When they were in their brooders they were on medicated chick feed. They all free range all day long. I just dont know how to keep everyone else away from the medicated feed for the chicks.

 

[Nicole01]

I heard absolutely no oyster shell until they start laying. I personally would not feed flock raiser. The chicks need a certain amount of nutrients for their ever so fast growing bodies, especially protein. I feed medicated chick starter.

 

[Poonchie's Mama]

I realize that, but do I put them all back in the brooder pen for now instead of free ranging? I wouldnt know how to seperate their food from everyone else.

 

[Nicole01]

Maybe take the oyster shell out. I would keep free ranging.

 

[Sorin]

I think the flock raiser is ok, I hope so because I'm going to start doing this soon with some of mine, I have some standard hens, 11 8 week olds and 7 one week olds being raised by a momma hen. The protein content is about right at 20%, so I think it's ok. Some people make an area that chicks can get into but adults can't so that way they can still feed chick starter, you could try something like that too if your worried. Feeding the oyster shell in a separate dish is good, from my understanding the chicks will have no interest in it.

 

[Poonchie's Mama]

Thats a good idea to make a little place for the chicks to get into with their feed in there. Wonder if they would actually use it though. The oyster shell isnt mixed in with the food, it is in its own seperate dish. I have chickens and ducks together and I wanted to feed them all the same kind of food. It worked good until now.

 

[AKsmama]

I'm not using medicated feed for my broody raised chicks. I figure with them living in the coop and free ranging with everyone else, they'll develop a natural immunity to cocci (which is all medicated starter treats for). My whole flock is eating chick starter for now and the layers have oyster shell on the side for when they need it. There is no way I can keep the older chicks out of the layer feed, so once they could reach the pvc feeder attached to the wall, I switched everyone over to starter. The layers were all getting in the broody box eating the starter in the chick feeder anyway

I don't think the chicks will mess with the oyster shell, their bodies don't crave it like the layers' do.

 

[Poonchie's Mama]

Quote:
Ok, so maybe I should get them some non medicated starter and feed that to everyone? That sounds like a good idea since they arent getting the medicated feed now anyway. Maybe I can put the flock raiser in an ice cream bucket or something that the chicks cant reach.

 

[gritsar]

Like AKsmama, my chicks are raised from hatch in the coop with the flock; at least now that I have broodies coming out my ears. Also, free ranging from a few days old; whenever mama decides to start taking them outside.

I feed everyone -- newly hatched chicks included -- flockraiser (our brand is called Allway) from hatch. There's oyster shell available in the coop in a seperate container. Other than an occasional peck at it (to discover what it is, maybe?) I've never seen the chicks at the oyster shell.

 

[Fred's Hens]

The whole point of FLOCK raiser is that it can feed the entire flock. Says so on the back of the bag. Frankly, it is a really good product.