Almost ready to set them free, but first I have a few questions...

[tdy123]

My chicklets (somewhere between a chick and a pullet?) are almost 7 weeks old and I live in GA. They SEEM to have most of their feathers and they are getting OMG big!! I have a coop but we're installing hardware cloth around the base (to thwart burrowing predators) before we move the chicks from the safety of their brooder box.

Now for the questions... which are mostly about food and grit. My chicklets are still on chick starter but I have grower (and layer) food in the shed. Do I switch to grower food at 6 weeks or 8 weeks -- I've read conflicting information. Also, I bought chick grit, grower grit and layer grit (all layer hens, no roos). Can I give them chick grit at this age and let them stretch their legs outdoors (as long as it's warm, shady and the wind is calm)? We are installing a covered run because hawks roost in our pine trees.

 

[IamRainey]

For the first time I had a Mama Hen so I wasn't raising my chicks in a brooder box where I could control the feed and grit they got. I was all kinds of anxious about how they would fare in the run with the adult hens.

At first I tried to supply them with their own feed and water but it was new and, therefore, the adult hens were all over it. It made me claustrophobic for the chicklets (LOVE your new designation!) the way 10 of them zeroed in on a 7" feeder, a 7" waterer and 2 chicklets. So I stopped doing it. By Day 2 it was clear they weren't going to starve or dehydrate.

They followed Mama Hen around and foraged within the enclosed run. I made sure to dump some of the all-flock feed down on the ground but I'm not sure whether they ever got any of it before the hens and my rooster scarfed it all up. Nevertheless, they are now about 10 weeks old, strong and healthy. They may get to the goodies last, but they get what they need.

I don't give any of my flock grower or layer feed. They all get all-flock and those that need more calcium can peck at the oyster shell and crushed egg shell I provide. My adults get conventional grit. My chicklets seem to have gotten what they needed from the clay soil and whatever was embedded in it.

To think what I paid for 5# bags of chick feed and chick grit on my previous broods! Three-quarters of it got scratched outside the brooder kennel and another part got so groddy I was throwing it out when I cleaned the feeder and waterer. And I was always running out to get more at premium prices for those tiny bags.

It will all be good. Enjoy them! They're so cute at that stage and it doesn't last long!

That was the long answer. The short one is they're all remarkably good at being chickens and they know how to do it much better than we do. We really can trust them. It's not neglect. It's humility.

 

[Mamatomany123]

I would finish up the chick starter then move them to grower. I just feed all flock and provide oyster shells once they start laying but you can go through the stages if you want to. I wouldnt leave them unattended if your run isn't secure. My chicks have been out since day one, we brooded in the coop and theyve run with the big girls in the run since 3 weeks. Yours should be feathered enough to withstand any wind. I've also never provided grit. Chickens do a pretty good job at being chickens. Mine have always found small pebbles, sand. Rocks ect for grit.

 

[Flockincrazy]

My chicklets (somewhere between a chick and a pullet?) are almost 7 weeks old and I live in GA. They SEEM to have most of their feathers and they are getting OMG big!! I have a coop but we're installing hardware cloth around the base (to thwart burrowing predators) before we move the chicks from the safety of their brooder box.

Now for the questions... which are mostly about food and grit. My chicklets are still on chick starter but I have grower (and layer) food in the shed. Do I switch to grower food at 6 weeks or 8 weeks -- I've read conflicting information. Also, I bought chick grit, grower grit and layer grit (all layer hens, no roos). Can I give them chick grit at this age and let them stretch their legs outdoors (as long as it's warm, shady and the wind is calm)? We are installing a covered run because hawks roost in our pine trees.

You can give them chick grit and as hot as its been i had mine out and integrated at 3wks I am so glad to hear you say covered run hawks or not covered runs are the best mine is covered to keep nonflying critters out i just think covered runs are safer for the flock and my piece of mind

 

[rosemarythyme]

You're already at the point where they're almost too big for chick grit. I provide grit as soon as I get chicks, so 2-3 days on. By about 8 weeks they're on small adult grit.

For grower, you can either switch according to the bag's instructions, or do what I do and feed stuff until it runs out. I switch to grower when I run out of starter, which usually happens around 6-8 weeks.

One point of concern: you said you already have layer feed in your shed? Do you have adult chickens, or did you buy this in advance for the chicks? If the latter, quite possibly the feed will have gone bad by the time you're ready to use it... or at the very least will have lost a lot of the nutritional value.

 

[GC-Raptor]

Now for the questions... which are mostly about food and grit. My chicklets are still on chick starter but I have grower (and layer) food in the shed. Do I switch to grower food at 6 weeks or 8 weeks

Switching from starter to grower anytime after 6 weeks is fine. Mix with growers feed when bag is nearly empty, to smooth transition.

My local TSC carries two sizes of Granite Grit, (Chick and Poultry). I offer Adult size Poultry Grit after 7 weeks in a separate container.

I offer Oyster Shells separately after 15 weeks.

As @rosemarythyme said, the layers feed could be spoiled by the time your chickens lay, especially in the heat and humidity in Georgia.
Poultry feed should be used within 3 months of purchase stored under ideal conditions.
Feed stored in a shed under hot humid conditions, will spoil quickly. GC

 

[tdy123]

Switching from starter to grower anytime after 6 weeks is fine. Mix with growers feed when bag is nearly empty, to smooth transition.

My local TSC carries two sizes of Granite Grit, (Chick and Poultry). I offer Adult size Poultry Grit after 7 weeks in a separate container.View attachment 2258146
I offer Oyster Shells separately after 15 weeks.

As @rosemarythyme said, the layers feed could be spoiled by the time your chickens lay, especially in the heat and humidity in Georgia.
Poultry feed should be used within 3 months of purchase stored under ideal conditions.
Feed stored in a shed under hot humid conditions, will spoil quickly. GC

 

[tdy123]

Thank you for that thoughtful response.

I didn't have children but I am quickly realizing I would have been the type of mom who boiled her baby's pacifier every time it hit the floor

I had not considered spoilage. I placed the food in gasketed food grade containers to keep the air out.

I am so relieved that I can mix the chick and grower feed because Small Pet Select is currently out of the chick starter I've been feeding them. They recommend switching to grower feed at eight weeks -- and I only have one serving remaining!

So do you recommend mixing the chick/grower/adult grit together as well? I've read that they will choose what they need. Or do I just eat the cost (haha) of the chick grit because I've been too nervous to feed my babies anything but 22% protein starter?

 

[rosemarythyme]

For the grit I'd mix chick and grower/pullet together, stick it in a dish, and let them pick out what they want. As they get bigger you can toss some adult size in there too.

As far as the layer feed, really give it a good look/sniff before using. If it looks off in any way, better to not use it and get a fresh bag. Optimally if you have the bag with tag sitting around, you'd want to look for the mill date so you can see how old it is by the time you get around to using it.

 

[tdy123]

I would finish up the chick starter then move them to grower. I just feed all flock and provide oyster shells once they start laying but you can go through the stages if you want to. I wouldnt leave them unattended if your run isn't secure. My chicks have been out since day one, we brooded in the coop and theyve run with the big girls in the run since 3 weeks. Yours should be feathered enough to withstand any wind. I've also never provided grit. Chickens do a pretty good job at being chickens. Mine have always found small pebbles, sand. Rocks ect for grit.

Thank you. Do they need grit before I expand to foraging? Do they need calcium before they begin laying?