[Maddie]

I have just got 4 Buff Orpingtons? They are 11 weeks old and I was advised to give them growers pellets and then mix with layers pellets at about 19weeks. My husband has "helpfully" tipped the pellets into separate bins and I don't know which is which. Will it harm them to mix the pellets at the age they are?

[lizto]

My growers pellets are slightly smaller in size than the layers - presumably as designed for slightly smaller beaks! So a direct comparison might solve the mystery.

[chrismahon]

They are too young for layers Maddie. The high Calcium levels can damage their liver /kidneys apparently. The extra Calcium is for shell quality on laying hens. Our Smallholder layers and growers pellets are the same size but a very slightly different colour. Best I can suggest is to mix them 50:50 to minimise the damage but personnally I would buy another bag of growers. None of our Buff Orpingtons laid until 26 weeks. So you have 15 weeks to go on growers as they don't need layers until the first one lays. They will consume about 100g per day each so that's 3 Kg per week. So it will be 2 bags of growers until you need the layers I think and they extra bag won't be wasted. You can always sprinkle 25% into the layers to use it up. Watch the use-by dates though so check the labelling-ours are normally only 12 weeks. After that the feed starts to break down and the nutrient value falls away.

[Penninehillbilly]

THe growers pellets I use are slightly smaller than layers, do you know anyone nearby who would let you have a small handfull (if the same make of course) to compare? and one was slightly paler than the other.
Giving them 50/50 till you fnd out or buy some more growers seems the safest way.
I loved my buffs, they do look funny when they come 'running' towards you. But they always looked so bedraggled when they'd been out in the rain (their choice    )

[Maddie]

Thank you that is really helpful