What to feed my one year olds and my new 10 week olds

[cleopatra]

I have 3 one year old hens and I feed them Layena plus omega 3 pellets. I'm getting 2 ten week old pullets tomorrow and want to know if they can eat this feed too. The website says to not feed it to pullets younger than 18 weeks. What can I feed both of them at the same time? Thanks!

 

[ChickensRDinos]

Young birds should NOT eat a layer feed. It was far too much calcium and can cause long term health problem including kidney failure. Feed a non-medicated starter or a grower. Add a bowl of oyster shell or some other calcium source on the side for your laying birds. They will only eat it as needed. All birds of all ages can eat a grower.

I actually use a grower all the time and never use a layer. Once all of your birds are laying you can switch or just stay. Either way.

 

[Eggcessive]

I agree. Use an "all flock" food such as Purina Flock Raiser or unmedicated chick starter and everyone will be fine. I actually prefer this feed year round for all my birds, and just put some crushed eggshells or oyster shell in a pan for the layers to eat when they need it.

 

[cleopatra]

Thanks you guys! So I got my new pullets this morning. One is a golden buff sex link but instead of being orange in color, she is almost all white. Does that mean she just got more of her coloring from her dad? Just curious. I also got a silver laced wyandotte and I'm so excited. I can't wait to get to know them better and watch them grow!

 

[Fred's Hens]

Once in a blue moon, even a sex link gets sorted wrong at hatch and packing. It happens. Last time I ordered ISA Browns, I got three cockerels. That was the most ever. Normally, 100% of the sex links ID correctly, but once in a awhile a cockerel slips through. If the red is on the head, even though much of the body is white, it is still a pullet.

If the head is white and the body is white, but there is some reddish brown in the wings or saddle? Cock-a-doodle-do.

 

[cleopatra]

She/he has very few specks of red and even a few black. I'll post pics tomorrow. It's only 8 to 10 weeks old and is just now getting tail feathers. I sure hope I don't have to make an exchange. I drove 90 miles to get them this morning!

 

[cleopatra]

Okay, here are the pics I promised. I think she has some colored feathers in her head - I sure hope you think she's a pullet. She's already acting quite dominant. I guess it was kind of dumb of me to pick out the lightest chicken in a group of sex links, but the lady (who has been in the business for 50 yrs) said they were all pullets, so I didn't think twice about it and I thought the whiter one was prettier than all the others. Thanks for all your help. By the way, I did get them some flock raiser feed and when I combine my flock in a few weeks I'll put it in the big girls feeder too. They've always had access to oyster shell, so that won't change for them.