When to start layer if young flock has silkies and large fowl?

[Adenium]

This was just occurring to me today....I have 3 large fowl and 4 silkies. I figured I'd do as everyone says and feed starter/grower until they're laying, then switch to layer feed. But, the silkies won't mature and lay until much later, past the point when the big girls will lay their first eggs. They're all only 3 weeks now, but I'm wondering if as the bigger ones approach laying age I should just offer oyster shell and keep everyone on the grower? Would the silkies eat the oyster shell and get too much calcium then?

I know others keep mixed flocks so this must not be too complicated, but I searched and couldn't find this answered anywhere.

 

[PunkinPeep]

When i had chicks and grown-ups of lots of different ages in the same coop, i fed them Purina Flockraiser (unmediated) or an unmedicated game bird grower. Mine free range, so i count on them to get their calcium from the plentious bugs around, which they did. But lots of folks just offer free choice oyster shell, like you said, and the girls who need it will eat it.

This solution worked well for me at the time.

 

[SJ]

I am by no means an expert on this but my feelings are this.

Your silkies will not get excessive calcium from the oyster shell, if given free choice.

The birds at my home are free ranging and a mixed flocked. All the manufactured feeds that I use are intended to be a diet of maintenance in winter and free range dietary supplement from the first fly hatch in spring to the first frost of fall.

With my chicks I use week 8 and 20 as "milestones". At week 8 chicks are put on free range. The only supplemental feed I give my entire flock is a non-medicated grower ration until week 20. Week 20 has "Judgment Day" where culls and broilers are harvested. After which the entire remaining flock is switched from the non-medicated grower ration to a layer ration.

The layer ration I use states that it is not a complete ration so supplemental calcium needs to be given to laying hens. It also states to begin feeding the layer ration at least a week before the onset of laying. Because I have a mixed flock free choice oyster shell is always available. The large heritage breeds I raise start laying at about 24 weeks while the Muscovy ducks start laying around 30.

I feel feeding in this manner (a ration that requires a separate source of calcium) allows me to feed one feed at a time to my mixed flock meanwhile never having the problem of excessive calcium in the diet of the developing birds.