Can I feed 2 different types of feed (all flock and layer)?

[DarkAngel77]

I have chicks of different ages, 10 weeks all the way up to almost 23 weeks. Of my older ones I have 5 laying and 2 that are pretty close to laying. Out of the 5 that are currently laying, 2 of them have pretty thin egg shells.

I currently feed an all flock and offer oyster shell on the side, but they really don't eat the oyster shell or show interest in it. Tomorrow after breakfast, I was planning to bake the eggs shells and mix them in with the oyster shells to see if that would encourage them to eat the oyster shells.

I'm just wondering if it would be ok to also feed layer feed? It would be in a separate feeder and not mixed with the all flock.

 

[FrostRanger]

I would not feed layer feed since you have nonlaying birds. How long have the ones with thin shells been laying? It's not unusual for a pullet's first eggs to be wonky. You can also try flake oyster shell, some birds like that better

 

[Debbie292d]

I have chicks of different ages, 10 weeks all the way up to almost 23 weeks. Of my older ones I have 5 laying and 2 that are pretty close to laying. Out of the 5 that are currently laying, 2 of them have pretty thin egg shells.

I currently feed an all flock and offer oyster shell on the side, but they really don't eat the oyster shell or show interest in it. Tomorrow after breakfast, I was planning to bake the eggs shells and mix them in with the oyster shells to see if that would encourage them to eat the oyster shells.

I'm just wondering if it would be ok to also feed layer feed? It would be in a separate feeder and not mixed with the all flock.

We actually mix the two.

The Kalmbach's Flock Maker crumbles is for chicks to laying age. It's 20% protein. For the chicks, they get that alone.

For the adults, they get the Flock Maker mixed 50/50 with Kalmbach's Layer crumbles which is 16%. We buy 50# bags of each and mix it in big bins. We also have oyster shell out. They don't eat much of that either, so the dish sits there for a while.

 

[DarkAngel77]

I would not feed layer feed since you have nonlaying birds. How long have the ones with thin shells been laying? It's not unusual for a pullet's first eggs to be wonky. You can also try flake oyster shell, some birds like that better

The first one has been laying about a month, the other (with the thinnest shells out of the 2, to the point it almost looks like you can see through them) has been laying about 2 weeks, give or take a couple days. I just worry with the shells being so thin that one will break inside of them.

I will look into the flake oyster shell, I don't recall seeing it in any of my local stores.

 

[FrostRanger]

The first one has been laying about a month, the other (with the thinnest shells out of the 2, to the point it almost looks like you can see through them) has been laying about 2 weeks, give or take a couple days. I just worry with the shells being so thin that one will break inside of them.

I will look into the flake oyster shell, I don't recall seeing it in any of my local stores.

You should be able to find it on chewy if you can't find it locally

 

[DarkAngel77]

We actually mix the two.

The Kalmbach's Flock Maker crumbles is for chicks to laying age. It's 20% protein. For the chicks, they get that alone.

For the adults, they get the Flock Maker mixed 50/50 with Kalmbach's Layer crumbles which is 16%. We buy 50# bags of each and mix it in big bins. We also have oyster shell out. They don't eat much of that either, so the dish sits there for a while.

Right now the 10 week olds isn't with the older ones, but I am planning in the next week possibly 2 weeks to fully integrate them, in the older ones they range from almost 15 weeks-almost 23 weeks.

When I first put the oyster shells out (I think the older ones were like 15/16 weeks) a couple of the older ones spent days eating it, one of who finally laid her first egg yesterday, but once the new wore off, they haven't been interested in it.

 

[DarkAngel77]

You should be able to find it on chewy if you can't find it locally

I will check on there if I can't find it near me.