1st Egg! But other Pullets haven’t laid yet. When do I start Layer Feed?

[teamtmo]

My 19.5 week old Black Maran laid her first egg this morning!
Unfortunately it was crushed soon after because the shell was so soft.
My 4 other pullets have not laid any eggs yet. They are all roughly the same age but different breeds.
I understand different breeds of chickens start laying at different times.
My question is when do I switch them from Grower Feed to Layer Feed when only one pullet just started laying?
Also, is it safe for my cockerel to eat layer feed too? Or should I keep him on grower feed or switch to a different feed?
Lastly, can I feed the egg back to my pullet even though it broke? I was thinking I would clean out the dirt and scramble up the yolk/egg white and the egg shell.

 

[nuthatched]

First eggs are wonky.
You can feed grower with oyster shell, you can feed a high protein layer for a few months to help your young layer, that short of time shouldn't hurt your boy.

 

[Mrs. K]

Really, I just feed until the bag runs out, then would go to layer. A lot of worry is encouraged on here over feed. When you let them outside, they pretty much eat anything they can catch.

And what about you, have you ever eaten a potato chip or drank a pop? Most of us have and have lived to tell the tale.

My rooster does eat layer feed, but with his behavior lately, the calcium in the feed is the least of his worries.

Mrs K

 

[BigBlueHen53]

You can keep them on grower, just provide oyster shell in a separate vessel so they can help themselves when they need it. That way you don't need to worry about the cockerel getting too much calcium. He'll leave it alone.

 

[BigBlueHen53]

I would not feed a raw egg to the chickens, I would cook it first. I'd worry about them getting a taste for raw eggs, you know?

 

[Mrs. K]

I never feed my chickens eggs. Those are for us.

 

[BigBlueHen53]

I never feed my chickens eggs. Those are for us.

I actually agree, it seems kinda creepy and cannibalistic to me. But I know a lot of people do.