It's been confirmed we have White Leghorns. Feed question.

[ChickiesInUtah]

When I spoke with the guy at the feed store he said that's all they've ever stocked. This explains why they're so skittish! I had thought they were White Rocks. I was looking forward to brown eggs simply for the novelty of a different color of egg. Oh well, fresh eggs are fresh eggs!

I also was looking forward to having heavier hens so they'd have a better chance of standing up to our cat if need be. Thus far we have not been letting them range freely.

I asked him what he fed his Leghorns after 8 weeks of chick starter. He said he mixes his last bag of chick starter with layer feed at 8 weeks of age.

I asked the same question to the guy who let us into the feed barn and he repeated the same thing.

I told my husband privately I wanted to stick with the advice I'd read on here, to leave them on chick food or change to grower feed until we saw an egg. He told me to go ahead and do what I wished. When I asked the cashier to ring me up for a bag of grower feed I was informed they don't even carry it.

There's another feed store in town I can check for grower feed but I'm so divided now. The guys I spoke with have raised chickens for 50 years and more. Are they recommending layer feed at an early age because Leghorns are known to lay sooner relative to other breeds?

Opinions anyone? Thank you, I appreciate it.

ETA I realize this has been likely asked many, many times and I apologize. I will do some more reading in other threads.

-Ginger

 

[dace316]

I can't find grower feed around here either, so I stick to chick feed until around 16 weeks. I have a mixed age flock right now, so I'm waiting until my little one are 16 weeks before I switch back to layer feed. The rest get oyster shell free choice to make up for the calcium missing from the starter feed.

Good luck!

 

[mnferalkitty]

I do basically what the feedstore guy said I start them on 23% chick starter then switch them to 16% layer. I don't use a middle food. Just chick then layer. I have done this for years. Saves me money and time. I have some leghorns and they are the ones that chase the cats the most.

 

[SIMZ]

Hi there!
Our leghorns are on the move most of the time, but they're still very nice chickens. One of them is always right behind me during my chicken chores. Since they are small and light, they can be very quick. They may not be able to beat up your cat, but I'd bet they can get out of its way. When they're grown, not as chicks.

Leghorns do lay earlier than some other breeds. Even without a grower feed, you can keep them on chick feed and switch right over to layer. I've switched mine over to layer when they're around 14-18 weeks, but there shouldn't be a problem if you switch over earlier than that. Eight weeks seems early, but if someone has been doing it for 50 years it's probably just fine.

 

[wingstone]

I always have a few leghorns in my flock simply because I find them to be good hardy egg machines....As far as feeding mine get chick starter while in the brooder , after being moved outside all birds get flock raiser with a calcium supplement on the side...i find that they do not bother the calcium untill they need it.....As far as being skittish, for me that is a plus..I have never lost a leghorn to predators, they are faster than all my other birds and can get to hiding alot quicker..And yes I have had a few early layers, as early as 14 weeks but the average seems to be 17 weeks.

 

[ChickiesInUtah]

Thank you for your responses! I have heard they are indeed egg laying machines, year round, which I'm sure is likely why the IFA carries them. It doesn't get bitterly cold here too often but I do live at about 5,500 feet in the Rocky Mountains. Our main issue in the winter is tons of snow.

Unrelated: the other feed store had the cutest yellow chicks with brown heads. I only gave them a quick glance as I wasn't interested in more chicks at the time but asked the cashier what breed they were. They were turkeys! Can you imagine if I'd accidentally purchased one?

We're total newbies with 5 White Leghorns. Not exactly ready for those yet but haven't ruled anything out for the future (turkeys, ducks, etc). I wonder if I'd bought one he would have said, "you do realize this is a turkey, right?"

Wingstone: their skittishness has actually helped me not become attached to them. I have a feeling we have at least two roos which will be dinner. I hope I'll only feel mildly sad and mostly grateful for what they have provided us. Good point about the predator thing, too!