20% Chick Starter

[TillinWithMyPeeps]

I recently bought my first bag of chicken feed. It is a 50 lb. bag of 20% chick starter it will be for 5 chicks. Would this work for the chicks until they grow up, or would the 20% be too much when they get a little older? Do I actually need grower/finisher, or, can I keep them on this until they need layer feed?

 

[n-da-woods]

It will be good for them.

 

[scgamecock]

I use TSC's 20% chick feed and the chicks grow like mad.I used to use Start and Grow from Purina and never had no problems with it but after trying the Dumor 20% and noticing how large the chicks grow made me change.

 

[COWBOY21]

I brought some from TSC when I first got my chicks about 3 weeks ago, and are they growing so fast.

 

[jhudson]

yes, you keep them on this until they start laying, then change to layer feed.

 

[digitS']

I think it should be about right, Andy.

Chick starter is supposed to be about 20% protein and I've kept my pullets on a 20% feed right on into their laying months. They will grow rapidly. You will probably want to give them treats, especially veggies, as Spring arrives and the days grow longer and warmer.

The increasing hours of daylight and all that protein will speed up their maturing. That may not be such a good thing if they mature before gaining adequate size. A small size layer will tend to always have small eggs, as I understand it.

The commercial outfits lower their rations to around 15% protein levels at about 14 weeks to kind of slow them down. They also control their hours of light. Even if you can't and probably don't want to decrease their light, the pullets will begin eating more food "outside of the bag" as they get older.

If they have hatched now, they will be at 14 weeks by late-May. Perhaps you will have lots of fresh greens (even grass) for them by that time. It isn't likely that the pullets will overeat veggies and they will appreciate the choice from the same-old, same-old by then.

Steve
edited to say: "lower their rations to around 15% protein levels" rather than "lower their rations to around 15%." No need to starve, 'em

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[Zahboo]

That's fine, until they start laying.

 

[TillinWithMyPeeps]

Is fast growing good for egg layers? does it mean I will get eggs sooner?