Will chicks be OK with the odd bit of layers mash??!

[littlelou16]

My mum hen keeps flying out of her sectioned off area in our run and encouraging the chicks to come through the wire (they are small enough to fit) The chicks can still access their chick food and water but the main flock is on layers mash which is raised so the chicks cant reach it directly but obviously some gets spilt on the floor. She is a very good mum and the other chickens are fine with the chicks (they are 2.5 weeks old) so i quite like the fact they are integrated with the flock. Im just hoping the odd bit of mash wont hurt as i dont really want to put the rest of them on chick crumb... What are peoples views, this is my first time with chicks Thanks

 

[Ravynscroft]

My mum hen keeps flying out of her sectioned off area in our run and encouraging the chicks to come through the wire (they are small enough to fit) The chicks can still access their chick food and water but the main flock is on layers mash which is raised so the chicks cant reach it directly but obviously some gets spilt on the floor. She is a very good mum and the other chickens are fine with the chicks (they are 2.5 weeks old) so i quite like the fact they are integrated with the flock. Im just hoping the odd bit of mash wont hurt as i dont really want to put the rest of them on chick crumb... What are peoples views, this is my first time with chicks Thanks

lol, she's a great mum teaching her kids to search out their food...

As the extra calcium in layer food is extremely bad for little chicks (could cause kidney failure) I'd at least switch the flock over to a flock raiser/grower feed and put out oyster shell in higher containers for the laying hens to get their calcium...
It's a bit of a pain, but one of the costs for having a broody raise the chicks instead of brooding them separately... good luck!

 

[Ravynscroft]

Or line their area with chicken wire/plastic garden net or something similar to keep the chicks from going in with the rest of the flock... if the chicks can't fit then mum will probably just go back and stay with them...

 

[azygous]

Perhaps the "odd bit" of layer feed won't hurt the chicks now, they do become quite mobile in short fashion and will access the feeder soon. Most chicken keepers switch to all flock feed during the time they have growing chicks up until the pullets begin to lay.

It doesn't hurt a flock to remain on flock feed for good as long as oyster shell is offered along side it. It eliminates the need to keep switching back and forth.

 

[lazy gardener]

Bee Kissed lets her whole flock eat layer and has long lived hens and roosters. Does not seem to affect their health at all. If calcium for chicks was such a big deal, chicks would be dropping dead left and right from eating all of the healthy greens and insects they find when foraging with a good broody. Instead, broody raised chicks are very healthy. Personally, I like to use multi-flock and toss oyster shell and egg shells on the ground for them.

 

[littlelou16]

Thank you everyone. I'm due a delivery of the grower feed today or tomorrow so I'll swap the flock onto that. I think it'll be a couple of weeks by the time the chicks can reach the flock feeder by which time they'll be having that anyway. I have oyster shell in separate raised containers. Hopefully that'll suit everyone then!