Can i raise chicks just with grains?

[gregory991]

I hatched some chicks and i don't feed them chick starter, i feed them just grains mainly corn grains, will they grow good with grains as with chick starter?

 

[JanetMarie]

I hatched some chicks and i don't feed them chick starter, i feed them just grains mainly corn grains, will they grow good with grains as with chick starter?

No, just corn will not give them the proper nutrition. Sooner or later there will be problems with development.

 

[duluthralphie]

I hatched some chicks and i don't feed them chick starter, i feed them just grains mainly corn grains, will they grow good with grains as with chick starter?

I think this depends on the grains. They need good protein. Sunflowers have 24% protein. If you are adding fish meal or animal protein it would help too.

Soybean meal if you are willing to go to the hassle to cook the soybeans would help.

https://www.healthaliciousness.com/articles/grains-highest-protein-carbohydrate-ratio.php

This shows the protein content of some grains.

You need to get to 18% minimum and I prefer 22% for chicks to get decent bone, and feather growth. Shorting them on protein now will affect them later on.

So while it might be possible to just use grains it will cost more than a good chick starter would and be more hit and miss.

Also you will miss trace minerals and vitamins with just grains

 

[lazy gardener]

My reading states that sunflowers are 17% protein. IMO, it's not possible to provide adequate nutrition for chicks on a grain/seed only diet. This assuming that the chicks are in a brooder. However, if you had a broody hen, and she was taking her chicks onto GOOD free range of mixed forage, with plenty of insect and other animal protein available, THEN you could supplement their diets with grains, and the chicks would probably be fine.

 

[duluthralphie]

My reading states that sunflowers are 17% protein. IMO, it's not possible to provide adequate nutrition for chicks on a grain/seed only diet. This assuming that the chicks are in a brooder. However, if you had a broody hen, and she was taking her chicks onto GOOD free range of mixed forage, with plenty of insect and other animal protein available, THEN you could supplement their diets with grains, and the chicks would probably be fine.

The free ranging is a good point, a few bugs can make up for a lot of lost protein,,



I am still sticking with the 24% protein on sunflowers though,,


How Much Protein Is In Sunflower Seeds? 23.4g


Sunflower seeds are almost the equivalent of beef steak or chicken breast for protein content. They can be eaten at any time and are packed with power.
Sunflower seeds also have essential fatty acids, vitamins and minerals which pass energy through the body to nourish all the organs of the body. Your skin will also improve becoming clearer and fresher looking. Sunflower seeds also contain calcium, iron,zinc, manganese, omega-3 and 6 essential fats, B-complex vitamins, beta-carotene and vitamins A, D,E and K.

Sunflower SeedsPer 100gEnergy (Calories)600 kcalProtein23.4gCarbohydrate18.6gSugars1.7gFats-Saturates4.7gFibre6.0gSodiumtraceSalt equivalenttraceVitamin B2-Vitamin B12-Calcium-Phosphorus-

 

[3riverschick]

Hi Gregory where are you at? is this the only type of feed you have available for chicks? are you in Nigeria or Pakistan or India? if so, then you need to supplement the grains with something like Hamlet Protein HP Avistart. or maybe M-Prove (made by different company) . one of those commercial supplements to add easily digestible nutrients to balance a lot of the indigestible fiber that you're going to have in the grains you're feeding . take a look at the " Worldpoultry website and the Hamlet Protein website. Hamlet Protein is out of Findlay, Ohio USA. Hamlet specializes in nutrition of the neonate creature. see if you can call these companies and ask them if they give you a free sample for your chicks. sometimes they will and then you can like report back to them. but if you were feed the chicks mostly grain diet and you were to add in Hamlet protein HP Avistart, I think you'll probably be in pretty good shape. the company is really nice about talking to you so you might want to try that .
See the thing with feeding this high volume of indigestible fiber in a plain grain diet is that without a supplement to offset the indigestible fiber , you run the risk of the indigestables building up a substrate layer in the hind gut . when that happens, you have a breeding ground in the hindgut for harmful pathogens to set in and create an illness in the GI tract ...and you don't want to do that.
Fortunately for you ,worldwide the need to supplement poor Quality Poultry diets with proper supplements is a topic of rabid research right now. go to the allaboutfeed website or World Poultry and start looking up articles on supplementing a grain diet for better poultry development. see what comes up , there's about a bazillion articles and studies out there on it, each one toting different supplements that are working . you can pick one ,contact the company to see what happens.
Best ,
Karen

 

[gregory991]

Hi Gregory where are you at? is this the only type of feed you have available for chicks? like are you in like like Nigeria or Pakistan or India? if so, then you need to supplement the greens with something like Hamlet protein HP Avistart. or maybe M-Prove. one of those commercial supplements to add easily digestible nutrients to balance a lot of the indigestible fiber that you're going to have in the grains you're feeding . take a look at the " Worldpoultry website and the Hamlet Protein website. Hamlet Protein is out of Findlay, Ohio USA. Hamlet specializes in nutrition of the neonate creature. see if you can call these companies and ask them if they give you a free sample for your chicks. sometimes they will and then you can like report back to them. but if you were feed the chicks mostly grain diet and you were to add in Hamlet protein HP Avistart, I think you'll probably be in pretty good shape. the company is really nice about talking to you so you might want to try that .
See the thing with feeding this high volume of indigestible fiber in a plain grain diet is that without a supplement to offset the indigestible fiber , you run the risk of the indigestables building up a substrate layer in the hind gut . when that happens, you have a breeding ground in the hindgut for harmful pathogens to set in and create an illness in the GI tract ...and you don't want to do that.
Fortunately for you ,worldwide the need to supplement poor Quality Poultry diets with proper supplements is a topic of rabid research right now. go to the allaboutfeed website or World Poultry and start looking up articles on supplementing a grain diet for better poultry development. see what comes up , there's about a bazillion articles and studies out there on it, each one toting different supplements that are working . you can pick one ,contact the company to see what happens.
Best ,
Karen

I live in kosovo and there has a lot of different chick starter brands and other chicken supplements, but i have a lot of ground corn and i decided to feed it to them!

 

[gregory991]

My reading states that sunflowers are 17% protein.  IMO, it's not possible to provide adequate nutrition for chicks on a grain/seed only diet.  This assuming that the chicks are in a brooder.  However, if you had a broody hen, and she was taking her chicks onto GOOD free range of mixed forage, with plenty of insect and other animal protein available, THEN you could supplement their diets with grains, and the chicks would probably be fine.

Yeah, they are with broody chicken and left free range

 

[lazy gardener]

Quote: That does not state what the protein percentage is. It merely states that there are 23 grams of protein in a serving. My bag of BOSS states that the crude protein is 14%. When looking at nutrient break down of items, the protein % does not correlate with the grams of protein.

 

[junebuggena]

Yeah, they are with broody chicken and left free range

Get some starter. Growing chicks require a specific balance of nutrients to grow and develop in a healthy manner. At best, they will, grow very slowly, take a long time to start laying and will be poor producers. Worst case scenario, they develop bone/joint deformities or neurological problems that result in a very poor quality of life. Grains alone are not enough to support them.