I had the brilliant idea of switching our (14-week-old or so) chicks from Purina Start & Grow to the organic chick starter from MyPetChicken.com. After spending $30 just to have it shipped, on top of the cost of the feed itself, I made the brilliant move of switching the chicks from the old feed to the new feed in one fell swoop -- not mixing them together or making it gradual. And unfortunately -- more brilliance -- I threw out the remaining Start & Grow I still had.
Today I went out to the coop to fill their feeder, which holds about a week's worth, and which I filled with the new feed last week. Sadly, I found the feeder almost completely full. It appears they haven't eaten much for about a week -- I'd guess they ate the last of the Start & Grow and then stopped eating altogether. We feed them lettuce, tomatoes, and other scraps pretty often, and on colder days, which we've had a lot of this week, I give them some scratch grains. So, they haven't been completely without food -- but still, I feel completely terrible, and not all that brilliant at all.
I gave them a bowl of scratch grains to tide them over this evening, and I'm headed to the feed store as soon as it opens in the morning, to get another bag of Start & Grow. Anything else I should or could do to take care of them? Will just getting them some of the feed they like be the right move, or do they need anything else to make up for a week of very little food?
And, would it be more brilliant to start out 100% Start & Grow, then mix in a little more of the organic stuff, and more and more until they're switched? I was planning to move them over to organic layer feed in a couple of week anyways -- maybe just switch to that, gradually, instead?
Oy. Thanks for any advice you can give this crappy chicken daddy.
Today I went out to the coop to fill their feeder, which holds about a week's worth, and which I filled with the new feed last week. Sadly, I found the feeder almost completely full. It appears they haven't eaten much for about a week -- I'd guess they ate the last of the Start & Grow and then stopped eating altogether. We feed them lettuce, tomatoes, and other scraps pretty often, and on colder days, which we've had a lot of this week, I give them some scratch grains. So, they haven't been completely without food -- but still, I feel completely terrible, and not all that brilliant at all.
I gave them a bowl of scratch grains to tide them over this evening, and I'm headed to the feed store as soon as it opens in the morning, to get another bag of Start & Grow. Anything else I should or could do to take care of them? Will just getting them some of the feed they like be the right move, or do they need anything else to make up for a week of very little food?
And, would it be more brilliant to start out 100% Start & Grow, then mix in a little more of the organic stuff, and more and more until they're switched? I was planning to move them over to organic layer feed in a couple of week anyways -- maybe just switch to that, gradually, instead?
Oy. Thanks for any advice you can give this crappy chicken daddy.
