Advice with what feed to buy and when please

[Coop's Coop]

Hi there chick experts!
We are in So Cal and my son has four chicks that have been on medicated starter crumble feed. I have been grinding it in the blender as per the instructions of the Silkie breeder where we got the chicks (Amber Waves). We will be out of the first bag of starter feed soon and I want to make sure I get the right feed moving forward. I'll be making the 1 hour trip to Tractor Supply in Temecula to buy lots of stuff for his chicks ( like 6 months worth of supplies). I'm hoping to pick up the next couple of bags of feed since it's a big drive and I don't want to do it too often. So I'm wondering if I stick with starter, how many 40-50lb bags you think I need before I move on to the next stage of feed, and what stage of feed comes next ( i.e. Layer?). I also want to move them on to all organic feed so brand recommendations that are great for silkies as well as big breeds would be wonderful.

Which organic feed do you love?

And how many more starter bags will I need? Looks like they have 40-50lb bags and TSC.

And when should I move them off of starter to the next type of feed? And what's next...layer feed?

And do you think it's safe to move the silkies off of the crumble mash? Don't want them to choke or have crop issues with the crumbles, which is why the breeder recommended putting the crumbles in a blender. All four chicks get the mashed crumble now.

Pic added for adorableness! Love these little gals! Thanks for the help!

My son has...
2 splash silkies (6+ weeks old)
1 buff brahma and 1 speckled Sussex (7+ weeks old)

 

[Squeak61]

Hello! Cute birds Once they are all 8 weeks old, you can switch them over to grower feed (the next step after starter). You will feed them grower until they are 18 weeks old. Once they are 18 weeks, they can start eating later pellets. Your girls are almost at the right age. So, I would recommend buying some bags of grower feed. Also, your girls are just about old enough to go outside. They can go out at around 6-8 weeks, especially in your nice weather.

I personally don’t know any great organic brands, but I’m sure others on here would be happy to share their opinions!

As for the mashed crumble, they are more than old enough to eat plain crumble. You should be just fine! Of course, if they have trouble eating it, blend it up. But they should be perfectly fine.

Hope this helps, good luck with your birds!

 

[rjohns39]

I'd also pickup some grit for them and offer it free choice. As far as stockpiling feed, grower has a 4-6 month shelf life. Are you in a pretty rural area? It's possible that there may be a feed mill closer to you. As far as moving to layer, there's no hard and fast rush other than cost to get there. You'll need to offer oyster shell free choice when they start showing signs of being ready to lay. I have my feed custom blended so I don't have any particular brands that I'm fond of.

 

[Molpet]

I have grit available always... and feed starter until 4 wks or the bag runs out, whichever is last. Then I feed grower. When their combs redded up I have oyster shell on the side... I have found my eggs hatch better with the higher protein of the grower...

 

[ChickenCanoe]

Every manufacturer has different formulas and several types of feed intended for different ages based on those formulas.
When you get to Tractor Supply, read the bags. Every one will have a chart for ages and types of chickens and which of their feeds are appropriate. Now that you've gone through a bag you have an idea of how much more you'll need to reach the next age milestone.
Going by the manufacturers' instructions on the bag is much more accurate than getting random advice from others who may be buying different feeds.

 

[nminusyplusm]

I spent a lot of my childhood near Temecula! Where abouts are you?
If you're going to Tractor Supply, they carry Nature's Best organic chick starter and grower. I fed my chicks with it and now that they're laying I still use it because of the higher protein content. They get oyster shell and grit, free choice. My birds love it!

Whenever people come over and see my chickens they comment on how healthy and glossy they look.

 

[aart]

Off topic....but ...do those nipples seal up OK at an angle like that?

 

[Coop's Coop]

Off topic....but ...do those nipples seal up OK at an angle like that?

I don’t have them in use yet. They use the portable waterers still since I still bring them inside at night. I bought this handmade coop off Craigslist and refurbished it. I plan on raising two of the nipples up higher for the big girls when they get older. Need to leave one lower for the Silkies. I cleaned the pipes and flushed it out and it did leak a bit from one of the nipples but I didn’t use thread tape when resealing it after cleaning.

 

[Coop's Coop]

I spent a lot of my childhood near Temecula! Where abouts are you?
If you're going to Tractor Supply, they carry Nature's Best organic chick starter and grower. I fed my chicks with it and now that they're laying I still use it because of the higher protein content. They get oyster shell and grit, free choice. My birds love it!

Whenever people come over and see my chickens they comment on how healthy and glossy they look.

 

[Coop's Coop]

Thanks for the recommendation. I’m looking forward to the trip over the hill to TSC. We are in Mission Viejo in OC.