Can my 9 week old girls eat layer feed?

[Chicken Bff]

I have grower feed and layer feed available since their being housed with the older hens but the older hens eat the grower feed and the baby's eat the layer feed. It would be impossible to separate them so I just wanted to know if it would be ok even if it's not the best thing to do.

 

[KaylorFarms]

Mine do the exact same thing. I just separate them when they are eating. I wouldn't give them layer feed until 18 weeks.

 

[KaylorFarms]

Mine usually get to the layer feed, but it doesn't harm them. They are also 9 weeks.

 

[Chicken Bff]

I can't separate them while they are eating since I'm not their in the day and have a gravity feeder but as long as it won't kill them I'm fine.

 

[meetthebubus]

I heard that the calcium is bad for them and shouldn't be given until 16 weeks or 4 months and up bc layer has calcium, everyone eating grower isn't harmful

 

[ShrekDawg]

If you can, I would switch everyone to an all flock (Nutrena)/Flock Raiser (Purina) type feed or a starter/grower until the chicks are old enough to lay. It might not harm them in the short term but I heard it can cause kidney damage or some similar organ and that they can seem fine and then drop dead one day. I don't mean to scare you but it's really not good for them to eat layer feed as babies. Plus it's probably easier on you to feed just one feed anyway. The grower will not harm the older birds as long as you provide free choice oyster shell in a separate dish. That will provide the calcium the adults need but won't harm the babies as they usually don't touch it unless they need it. It also depends on how old the babies are. If they're eating it from the time their little day olds or a few weeks old up until they lay then it could be a lot bigger problem but if they're almost POL (point of lay) and only eating it for say a week or two then it wouldn't be as big of a deal. But I would still switch them all to grower or a flock raiser feed if you can. Then when the babies start to lay you can either switch them all back to layer or you can just keep them on the grower or flock raiser with free choice oyster shell.

 

[ShrekDawg]

Whoops, I just noticed you said the age of your birds in the title, sorry. 9 weeks is still pretty young as they usually don't start laying until at least 16 or 18 weeks (my first one didn't start until 22 weeks with others starting later) so that's a long time to be eating layer. I would definitely switch them all if you can

 

[Chic Rustler]

Not to high jack the thread, but could you mix 50 lbs of grower with 25 pounds of layer feed and feed the mixed flock with that? Otherwise ill have 25 lbs of layer pellets go bad before my youngest are able to eat it

 

[ShrekDawg]

I don't think it would be ideal but could probably be done.

How many chickens do you have? I have 8 and they go through a 50 pound bag crazy fast lol

 

[Chic Rustler]

I have 9 hens, 2 roosters, and 16 chicks ranging from 7 to 10 weeks. Those chicks eat like crazy! Also have 19 two week old chicks in the brooder. Before the chicks came along, a 50 lb bag of feed would last a month. Its now doubled