Best foods for chicks besides the basic starter feed

[Criticalicious]

As long as they also eat food, eating sand should be OK. They'll grow out of it.

 

[chickens really]

I definitely never worry.....They do great on sand.

 

[Chickassan]

Oh I know lol! There was a really worrisome amount of sand being eaten though.
I take mine out the first week in an open bottom pen to build immunity and let them forage and yeah they eat a little dirt and sand.
But just sand in the brooder with no distractions was more interesting than food for some reason. I was afraid i'd end up with peeping sandbags.
Like I said i'm envious with smarter chicks it is a nice setup.

As long as they also eat food, eating sand should be OK. They'll grow out of it.

 

[rjohns39]

When I can get it, I like to start my birds with either a non-gmo pastured poultry starter @22% protein or an SPN non-gmo starter 21.9% protein, when I can't I use a non-gmo starter/grower @19% protein. When I setup my brooder, I'll lay a piece of cardboard down and mix a bit of sand, feed and chick grit and put it on the cardboard, I fill the feed troughs and the grit bowl as well. I'll introduce the chicks to dried meal worms on day 2 and small clippings from the pasture or fine chopped organic alfalfa hay or pellets at about 7 days. I'll keep the chicks on starter 3-4 weeks or until it runs out and then move them to a grower/broiler ration until they are 8-10 weeks.

@Shadrach I have never been able to find the origins (haven't really looked hard) of the 10% rule. I image it evolved not long after formulated feeds, when peoples chickens were dying from eating kitchen scraps including things from the cabbage family. Farmers were still accustomed to feeding kitchen scraps to their birds without rules. Early feed formulations contained near toxic levels of rapeseed meal, so the addition of cabbage scraps could tilt the scale and kill the chickens. Thankfully Canada solved that problem when they developed canola.

But almost any feed ingredient has potential toxic or problematic results if fed in too high of quantities. For Example: Oats and Barley contain Beta Glucans that will act as a nutrient blocker if fed in too high of a concentration. So, the way my nutritionist explains it to me is that they (those formulating feeds) attempt to take into account the bad habits of their targeted population and use the 10% rule in their defense. Mine tries to educate me and others on the various limitations so we can look at our feed concentrations and be a little better educated on what's too much or a bad idea. If you violate the rule will it harm your chicken, you get a firm maybe. It all depends on what else is in their diet and what you're giving them as a treat. Your views on feed seem very sound to me. In the end we need to do what we feel is best for our birds.

 

[Shadrach]

When I can get it, I like to start my birds with either a non-gmo pastured poultry starter @22% protein or an SPN non-gmo starter 21.9% protein, when I can't I use a non-gmo starter/grower @19% protein. When I setup my brooder, I'll lay a piece of cardboard down and mix a bit of sand, feed and chick grit and put it on the cardboard, I fill the feed troughs and the grit bowl as well. I'll introduce the chicks to dried meal worms on day 2 and small clippings from the pasture or fine chopped organic alfalfa hay or pellets at about 7 days. I'll keep the chicks on starter 3-4 weeks or until it runs out and then move them to a grower/broiler ration until they are 8-10 weeks.

@Shadrach I have never been able to find the origins (haven't really looked hard) of the 10% rule. I image it evolved not long after formulated feeds, when peoples chickens were dying from eating kitchen scraps including things from the cabbage family. Farmers were still accustomed to feeding kitchen scraps to their birds without rules. Early feed formulations contained near toxic levels of rapeseed meal, so the addition of cabbage scraps could tilt the scale and kill the chickens. Thankfully Canada solved that problem when they developed canola.

But almost any feed ingredient has potential toxic or problematic results if fed in too high of quantities. For Example: Oats and Barley contain Beta Glucans that will act as a nutrient blocker if fed in too high of a concentration. So, the way my nutritionist explains it to me is that they (those formulating feeds) attempt to take into account the bad habits of their targeted population and use the 10% rule in their defense. Mine tries to educate me and others on the various limitations so we can look at our feed concentrations and be a little better educated on what's too much or a bad idea. If you violate the rule will it harm your chicken, you get a firm maybe. It all depends on what else is in their diet and what you're giving them as a treat. Your views on feed seem very sound to me. In the end we need to do what we feel is best for our birds.

I've looked and I can't find the origins of the 10% rule.
One problem is of course if your chickens free range the 10% rule is unworkable.
I've read a some reports from some nutritionists regarding oats. Unfortunately the site where I read the most dramatic 'your chickens will die if they eat oats' type of thing was on a popular site that is obviously funded by a feed company and much of the information is virtually copy and paste from a medical handbook with a bit of 'I' thrown in.....nuff said.
Idk, I'm interested in the subject as I think you know from another thread started by a feed producer. I think, and I hope, that as longevity for pet chcikesn becomes more of a concern the feed manufacturers will produce feed with a much wider range of available amino acids in, not just those essential for a complete protein.
There have been some studies that have attempted to prove that free range chickens tend to live longer and are healthier. Please note I've written attempted because the amount of research required to prove this conclusively is enormous.
It's a curious topic with many vested interests giving advice.

 

[MissChick@dee]

If you feed anything other than chic starter be sure to offer Grit!

 

[orangesplash]

I feed only Medicated Start and Grow 18% for 10 weeks. At 2 weeks I mix in Chick Grit at a ratio of 1 to 40.
My Barred Rocks started to lay at 20 weeks. All are laying now at 23 weeks.
View attachment 1657163 .View attachment 1657164 . GC

WOW!! teach me this technique please!

 

[orangesplash]

I love it when they run around after taking a peck at the boiled eggs!!

 

[MissChick@dee]

View attachment 1657976 .GC

I could see someone giving oats and not providing grit and having sour crops everywhere!
People forget that a chickens crop is about the size of a ping pong ball and they’ll stuff it full (even stretch it out) of what’s ever in front of them.
We as people forget our stomachs are the size of our fists.
It’s like us eating 1/2 a pizza and getting constipated miserable yes. But for chickens it can sit in the crop and rot ... much more dangerous.
Moderation for chickens is a couple of flakes of oatmeal per serving. Not one bowlful.
Your article makes sense to me.

 

[GC-Raptor]

I could see someone giving oats and not providing grit and having sour crops everywhere!
People forget that a chickens crop is about the size of a ping pong ball and they’ll stuff it full (even stretch it out) of what’s ever in front of them.
We as people forget our stomachs are the size of our fists.
It’s like us eating 1/2 a pizza and getting constipated miserable yes. But for chickens it can sit in the crop and rot ... much more dangerous.
Moderation for chickens is a couple of flakes of oatmeal per serving. Not one bowlful.
Your article makes sense to me.

Also an article from Purina.

. GC