When to Integrate Pullets

[ninnymary]

I am anxious to integrate my 3 pullets with my older hens. On Sept. 1, they will be 20 weeks old. They are almost the same size as the hens. Currently, they are on chick starter. I can't remember when pullets can start on layer feed.

Mary

 

[thistlebloom]

I thought they could be given some lay pellets with the chick starter at 16 weeks and fully switched over in a week. They sound like they're plenty big enough to mix in now.

 

[Chickie'sMomaInNH]

i think they can start layer feed at this point in time. you may want to do a gradual change over though. i've mixed my younger birds in at a younger stage and haven't had many issues in the past. just the usual pecking order stuff may happen.

 

[ninnymary]

I've heard that you shouldn't give them layer feed too early because of the calcium and their inability to digest it.

Mary

 

[thistlebloom]

What does the back of your starter feed bag say about how long to feed it?

 

[Ridgerunner]

Most varieties of chicken feed has a chart on it that shows which feed to feed at which age. That's what Thistle is talking about. I'd bet yours says to switch to Layer somewhere around 18 weeks and that's without me knowing which brand you use.

The problem with feeding calcium to growing chicks is not an inability to digest it. Too much calcium can damage a growing chicks kidneys or liver. Those organs have to rid the chick of excess calcium, just like ours do if we eat too much calcium. If they have to work too hard to get rid of the excess, the organs can be damaged.

If you look at the tag on the bag of feed, there should be an analysis showing what percent of various things it contains. That should include protein, calcium, fats, fiber, salt, and some words you probably have to think about before you could pronounce them. Those are Amino Acids. The only two that are going to be significantly different are protein and calcium. Your Chick Starter probably has about 4% more protein than the Layer. The Layer probably had 3 to 4 times as much calcium as the Chick Starter. All the other stuff should be pretty close to the same percent. The percent protein isn't all that important, just that the more protein it has the more it costs. Young chicks need the extra protein to give them a good start in life, but older birds don't need as much. They are not still growing. The extra protein won't hurt them, it's just that they don't need it so you can save yourself some money if you want to.

The calcium is the only thing you really need to watch. At 20 weeks your pullets can handle the higher calcium levels.

 

[catjac1975]

Babies went outside today for the first time-peeping like crazy.

 

[so lucky]

It is almost as exciting for the human as it is for the chicks, that first day in the big girl coop.
Mary, it sounds like your new girls are old enough for layer food--I have had a chicken or two start laying before 20 weeks.
Good luck on the integration process!

 

[buckabucka]

@ninnymary, I just finished integrating my pullets at 14 weeks. I feed my flocks a mixture of layer feed and higher protein flock raiser with oyster shell free-choice.

When the pullets were about 12 weeks I put them in the coop sectioned off by chicken wire with their own food (not layer feed). At around 14 weeks, I left the partition up, but created openings that both the pullets and bigger hens can get through. At that time, I started giving everyone just the flock raiser, which is the food they prefer anyway.

The older hens eat the oyster shell, but I haven't seen the pullets eating it yet. I'm sure they had a taste of layer feed just by scratching around on the ground, but not much.

Even though the older hens can access the pullet pen, I find they segregate themselves when they need a break. I'm going to leave that area sectioned off for a bit just to make their transition less stressful.
Before integrating, I find it helpful to throw a treat frequently (just moistened flock raiser) along both sides of the chicken wire to get the flock all eating together.

I will mix in the layer feed once the pullets start laying eggs.

 

[ninnymary]

Buckabucka, I am more concerned about giving my pullets the layer feed too early as opposed to the integration process. The coop has a small partioned area where they are separated but all can see each other. I had to separated my seckle sussex pullet from the other 2 pullets because they were picking her tail feathers and had drawn blood. They've been separated for weeks now. A couple of days ago, I found one of the pullets had gotten in with the speckle sussex. I don't know how she managed that since there is only a couple inches from the bottom of the wire where she could have crawled under. So far, she is not picking on the sussex.

I'm anxious to integrate them so they can have more room.

thistle and ridge, I will check on the chick starter bag to see what age they recommend I keep feeding them.

Mary