What and when to feed?

[Doc7]

Shoot. I just ordered a bag of layer feed for the new pullets I am getting today. But I also have straight run young chicks that will be integrating with them, so there will be roosters too. Does that mean I can't feed the layer? Or I would have to keep everything separated? Maybe save the layer food until they are all grown, but then what about the roosters?

layer feed (excess calcium that they don’t pick out) will damage the kidneys of chickens that aren’t laying eggs. If it’s one bag just feed it but you won’t be able to keep the chicks outof the hens feed so you’ll want to be switching to a starter, grower, or all flock feed at some point before the chicks / Roos get into the hens feed.

it is far better for a hen to pick oyster shell from a separate container than to feed calcium to a mixed flock. Or so the internet says and I tend to go with it.

 

[NatJ]

Maybe put the layer feed in one feeder, and a chick starter or a grower feed in another feeder? (Of course, you might find that they all prefer one feed and ignore the other.)

 

[Jenthehen127]

Shoot. I just ordered a bag of layer feed for the new pullets I am getting today. But I also have straight run young chicks that will be integrating with them, so there will be roosters too. Does that mean I can't feed the layer? Or I would have to keep everything separated? Maybe save the layer food until they are all grown, but then what about the roosters?

From what I have read later feed is too high in California for chicks. It can damage their kidneys. It probably doesn't benefit the roos, but not sure if it would hurt them.

 

[kiwi-chick]

layer feed is just that - for layers only.
It will slowly damage any other chicken eating it. I lost a roo to it and now refuse to use it giving oyster shell on the side.

 

[NatJ]

From what I have read later feed is too high in California for chicks. It can damage their kidneys. It probably doesn't benefit the roos, but not sure if it would hurt them.

Autocorrect problem, I think.
"layer feed is too high in calcium for chicks" is probably what you meant.

It's supposedly bad for roosters too, but being adults they don't have problems as quickly as growing chicks do.

For laying hens + roosters, just feeding the one bag should not cause problems.

I just ordered a bag of layer feed for the new pullets I am getting today. But I also have straight run young chicks that will be integrating with them, so there will be roosters too. Does that mean I can't feed the layer? Or I would have to keep everything separated? Maybe save the layer food until they are all grown, but then what about the roosters?

You could feed the layer to the pullets from the day they come home. If you do a look-don't-touch integration method, at least some of the layer feed will be gone by the time you actually put the birds together.

And if you put out both kinds of feed after that, each group of chickens might keep eating the one they are used to, at least for a bit. By which time you will have even less layer food left.

If the layer feed is in pellets, then little chicks would not be able to eat it anyway. So they would be safe enough, at least until they grow a bit.

How many chickens of each age are you dealing with?

 

[Chickstarrs]

Autocorrect problem, I think.
"layer feed is too high in calcium for chicks" is probably what you meant.

It's supposedly bad for roosters too, but being adults they don't have problems as quickly as growing chicks do.

For laying hens + roosters, just feeding the one bag should not cause problems.



You could feed the layer to the pullets from the day they come home. If you do a look-don't-touch integration method, at least some of the layer feed will be gone by the time you actually put the birds together.

And if you put out both kinds of feed after that, each group of chickens might keep eating the one they are used to, at least for a bit. By which time you will have even less layer food left.

If the layer feed is in pellets, then little chicks would not be able to eat it anyway. So they would be safe enough, at least until they grow a bit.

How many chickens of each age are you dealing with?

I am getting three pullets tomorrow all around 1yr old or slightly younger. Then I have 4 EE that are almost 3 wks and 4 Australorp that are 1wk.

 

[Ihavesomechickens]

Any poultry that is not actively laying eggs shouldn’t eat later feed. I feed my whole flock Flock raiser, as I have a cockerel.

The calcium they need gets absorbed into their bodies, and any extra goes to the kidneys. The kidneys can not handle high levels of calcium though and it always leads to kidney problems. The people that say their non laying chickens are fine eating later feed just either had chickens that showed less pain or chickens that they didn’t have long enough to notice anything.

 

[NatJ]

I am getting three pullets tomorrow all around 1yr old or slightly younger. Then I have 4 EE that are almost 3 wks and 4 Australorp that are 1wk.

So feed the layer feed to the pullets, and chick starter to the babies.

What age to you plan to integrate them at? If you do it soon, put the layer feed in one feeder, and raise it until the lip of the feeder is level with the backs of the pullets who are supposed to eat it. The babies won't be able to reach until they get taller. (Serve chick starter in a lower feeder.)

If you keep them separate until the babies are grown up, the layer feed will be all gone anyway, and you won't have to worry about the cockerels eating it.

 

[Jenthehen127]

meant

Oh geez! Lol! Yes, crazy autocorrect!!!