What to feed a mixed flock?

[SarniaTricia]

"What do you feed a flock with a roo and 8 week old babies?"
I have added a boyfriend(knight in white feathers) for the girls and he is eating the layer feed right now.
I add oyster shells for the girls too.
In a couple of weeks everyone gets moved to the new larger coop space and the babies get added to the new coop.

Should they all be getting layer?
I have to go to the feed store this week and figure I might as well get what is needed now, rather than wait.

Thanks
Patricia

 

[Judy]

That may be a little young to feed chicks layer with the extra calcium. You can feed everyone a flock raiser feed -- better for the roo, anyway, and the hens should get their calcium from the oyster shell. I have fed everyone grower when flock raiser wasn't readily available, though I don't know whether that's a good idea long term.

 

[Jkioneil]

We feed all of them layer food with oyster shell and a little DE. When we had our last flock that included our turkey. She was the most beautiful bird and would lay wonderful turkey eggs for us. Our roo ate it too. Big healthy happy boy. We ate our turkey at thanksgiving and she was amazing. So i would recommend to keep em all on layer except the babies get them on started but when they are old enough move em onto the layer. My reasoning was they were all in the same coop and would eat everything anyway. I did not want to chance the girls not getting what they needed in case they liked the meat bird feed better. We had great eggs great meat and a happy rooster!

 

[Jkioneil]

I meant starter not started lol. Keep the little ones on starter until they are old enough and really that is when they start doing the dance when you pet them and thier combs are getting more red. then they are ready?

 

[the1much]

i really shouldnt answer this question, i always went to the extreme with my birds lol
all my birds (after they get off from starter) ate the same thing,, game conditioner,game maintenance, and scratch, all mixed together. i never had to give oyster shells or layer pellets and my birds were always in #1 health.


edited to add: oh and the wifers always went out every night and fed all our leftovers from our meals, they loved that magic purple spoon hehe