Young Chickens on layer feed

[SammileeChickie]

Hello everyone I will be getting a new chicken soon that might be 3 months and my chickens are 8 months and on an organic layer feed so I was wondering if it would be okay for the 3 month old chicken to be eating the layer feed as well

 

[Farmgirl0422]

Actually you shouldn't start giving your chick layer feed till they lay there first egg.

 

[SammileeChickie]

Okay well what should I do.?

my chickens lay eggs already but the new chicken I will be getting is 3 months old. How will I feed her.?

 

[cavemanrich]

Easiest solution is to feed all your chickens Alflock feed. Starter feed crumbles is also just as good. You will have to supplement your layers with crushed oyster shells. Layer feed has 4% calcium Alflock and Starter is at 1.5 to 2% calcium. May vary by brand and supplier of feed. It is suggested to not feed the extra calcium to non layers due to potential kidney and liver damage. All depends on how long you want your chickens to live, If you will eventually eat them in a year or two, then I don't think the organs will fail that quick.
Have the Oyster shell available free choice. If you start to get really thin egg shells or soft, then just mix a small quantity each time into their feed. They will not OD on the shells. If anything, the shells will be left behind in the feed bowl as the rest of the feed is consumed.

Also you should be doing this all the time.. FEED THEM BACK THEIR EGG SHELLS.

 

[Blooie]

You're not going to be able to just put your new chicken in with the others anyway because they'll need to be integrated slowly. Otherwise your older birds are likely to kill or seriously injure the newcomer. You'll have to rig up some kind of enclosure for her within sight and sound of the others for a bit until they get used to each other, preferably right in the coop. One of the ways to speed that integration up is to put the new girl in her "introduction" pen or cage with her own food and water and leave her for the first day. The next day you can spread some scratch right at the border of the older girl's pen and the new pen. Just spread a line of it on both sides. The older girls will begin to eat the scratch on their side and the younger one will eat the scratch on her side, effectively having them eating side by side without being able to hurt one another. After a week or more, depending on how that goes, you can try to open the youngter's cage and see how it goes - supervised, of course!

@cavemanrich is right about what to feed. Starter grower or an All Flock means that they will all be eating the same thing. This is what I do when I have a mixed flock of young, older, and roos. Good luck!

 

[SammileeChickie]

You're not going to be able to just put your new chicken in with the others anyway because they'll need to be integrated slowly.  Otherwise your older birds are likely to kill or seriously injure the newcomer.  You'll have to rig up some kind of enclosure for her within sight and sound of the others for a bit until they get used to each other, preferably right in the coop.  One of the ways to speed that integration up is to put the new girl in her "introduction" pen or cage with her own food and water and leave her for the first day.  The next day you can spread some scratch right at the border of the older girl's pen and the new pen.  Just spread a line of it on both sides.  The older girls will begin to eat the scratch on their side and the younger one will eat the scratch on her side, effectively having them eating side by side without being able to hurt one another.  After a week or more, depending on how that goes, you can try to open the youngter's cage and see how it goes - supervised, of course!  

@cavemanrich
 is right about what to feed.  Starter grower or an All Flock means that they will all be eating the same thing.  This is what I do when I have a mixed flock of young, older, and roos.  Good luck!

Thank you so much on how to introduce the chickens. I only have two so it shouldn't be too bad right.? My barred rock is the boss but she hates being alone( I know she's going to be the one pecking) and my EE is a total sweet heart. But I guess anything can happen when you introduce a new chicken.!

I was planning on putting her in the play pen right next to them and maybe letting them free range together in the garden to see what happens. I also watched a video where the person introduced the new chicken to one flock member at a time.

 

[SammileeChickie]

Easiest solution is to feed all your chickens Alflock feed.  Starter feed crumbles is also just as good.    You will have to supplement your layers with crushed oyster shells.    Layer feed has 4% calcium  Alflock and  Starter is at 1.5 to 2% calcium.   May vary by brand and supplier of feed.    It is suggested to not feed the extra calcium to non layers due to potential kidney and liver damage.    All depends on how long you want your chickens to live,    If you will eventually eat them in  a year or two, then I don't think the organs will  fail that quick. 
Have the Oyster shell available free choice.   If you start to get really thin egg shells or soft, then just mix a small quantity each time into their feed. They will not OD on the shells.    If anything, the shells will be left behind in the feed bowl as the rest of the feed is consumed. 

Also you should be doing this all the time..  FEED THEM BACK THEIR EGG SHELLS.   

So just put a bowl of oyster shells/ their own egg shells and they know what to do.? That's so weird.!

 

[Blooie]

Thank you so much on how to introduce the chickens. I only have two so it shouldn't be too bad right.? My barred rock is the boss but she hates being alone( I know she's going to be the one pecking) and my EE is a total sweet heart. But I guess anything can happen when you introduce a new chicken.!

I was planning on putting her in the play pen right next to them and maybe letting them free range together in the garden to see what happens. I also watched a video where the person introduced the new chicken to one flock member at a time.

As long as you're right there to intervene, why not? But remember that it's not how many older chickens you have - even two form a flock with a pecking order even if we can't see it clearly. So common sense has to prevail and it sounds like you've got that end of it covered!