What to feed my chicks?

[egg mama]

We have 3 hens who are 18 weeks...one started laying about 2 weeks ago. We also have 11 11 week olds. I know I need to get the older ladies Layer feed...but how do I keep it all separate? We just combined them a week ago so I don't really want to separate them.

Is there a feed that is okay to feed all of them?

They all go out into a large run & "hunt & peck" for bugs & we have given them watermelon, butternut squash & zucchini.

What else should I be giving them? Oyster shell? Scratch?

Another question from a newbie...do they NEED grit if they have access to dirt?

Thank you everyone in advance for helping me out. My family is really enjoying our little "backyard" flock.

Staci

 

[nuts4chickens]

You can give them Purina Flock Raiser and put a hopper of oyster shell out for the ones who are laying. They don't need grit if they are on dirt. You will get differeing opinions on scratch. Some say they don't need it, etc. I DO give mine a little scratch every day, simply because they really enjoy it. I also give mine extra produce from my garden. Lots of tomatoes, squash, cucumbers, etc. And they free range every other day or so. I had to use Flock Raiser earlier this summer for the same reason. I'm not crazy about Flock Raiser, but it will get you over the hump til the little ones get big enough to switch to a layer food, and adding some veggies and free ranging (when/if you can) should also help round them out nutritionally. Bugs, grubs, etc will boost the protein a little more too. Good luck!

 

[NevadaRon]

Quote:
Why not?

 

[Cindy in PA]

You can feed them any grower that's 18% or more with additional oyster shell. Flock Raiser is nothing special, just a grower feed without the calcium level of layer. Sometimes people seem to think it is a feed category in & of itself. It's just a basic feed that is OK to feed different ages and types of birds.

 

[Chris09]

Quote:
You could feed them Purina Flock Raiser. It is used by a lot of people on here.
You can also use,
A Starter/ Grower,
Game Bird Grower,
Buckeye Big 4
Kents Home Fresh 27 Poultry or Home Fresh Multi-Flock

Chris