Same food for chicks and moms?

[DG Homestead]

I've got two broody girls sitting on eggs. I finally put them in their own separate mini coop because it was becoming a sh#t show with other girls climbing on top of them, etc. Right now I have the moms' layer pellets in there for them to pick at. Once the chicks are hatched I'll obviously have to have chick food and other high protein tiny bits of food. Can I still have the pellets in their for the moms or will the chicks try to eat it even though the pieces are too big? Or do the moms just eat the expensive chick feed for a while and my wallet will just suffer? I'd like to just let the moms raise their chicks amongst the flock and the protective roosters but then they will ALL eat the expensive chick feed!

 

[Sally PB]

Resign yourself to buying one or two bags of chick starter, depending on how many chicks/adults you have. The chicks' first few weeks of life are the most critical for giving them good nutrition. Skimping on their feed will cost you and them in the long run.

If you can separate the other adults, you can give them other food, but then you will need to integrate them all back together.

 

[MountainWoman73]

Yep, mom will eat the expensive chick feed for a while. I figure it's her payment for all the broody work she just did to hatch those chicks.

 

[wrathsfarm]

Roosters shouldn't be eating layer feed. I've read you can feed everyone an All-Flock feed or Grower feed but no concrete info to back up if chicks can be fed it also.

I feed my broodys and babies Chick Starter and the rest of the flock all-flock with oyster shell on the side.

 

[nuthatched]

It's only $6-7 more, your wallet will survive. You can feed everyone all flock which is cheaper then chick feec.

 

[FrostRanger]

Trying to feed birds that aren't physically separated different feeds is a hopeless endevor. I'd actually switch the mom to chick feed now since broodies don't lay eggs while raising chicks. Once they're maybe 3 weeks old you can put everyone on a high protein all flock feed, just have oyster shells on the side for your laying hens

 

[Debbie292d]

I've got two broody girls sitting on eggs. I finally put them in their own separate mini coop because it was becoming a sh#t show with other girls climbing on top of them, etc. Right now I have the moms' layer pellets in there for them to pick at. Once the chicks are hatched I'll obviously have to have chick food and other high protein tiny bits of food. Can I still have the pellets in their for the moms or will the chicks try to eat it even though the pieces are too big? Or do the moms just eat the expensive chick feed for a while and my wallet will just suffer? I'd like to just let the moms raise their chicks amongst the flock and the protective roosters but then they will ALL eat the expensive chick feed!

I remove the layer crumbles from the adult feeder and put starter crumbles in there. Then I put out a dish of oyster shell for the loss of calcium the hens will suffer. The adults benefited from higher protein though. I did that for about four months.