Changing Feed to have more Protein

FirewifeJess

Songster
7 Years
Mar 2, 2012
3,611
58
208
Gallifrey
Backstory: We live in WA and I'm an all-natural kinda gal. I don't like using medication unless warranted and I love the concept of whole foods for all, people and animals alike. Here in WA there is a feed called Scratch and Peck which is whole grains, non-GMO, soy and corn free, and overall the best option for my flock, or so I thought. I decided to get a bunch of pullets so went with Purina medicated chick starter to be safe, and right at 8 weeks I switched to Scratch and Peck's Grower feed. Since I started this feed, I do not feel like my birds are growing nearly as fast as the rest of my friends' flocks of similar/same age.
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I provide free-choice grit and my girls free-range all day as well, but still they aren't fast growing girls! I also don't think they drink very much water for a dozen birds, but maybe it's all subjective since we live in a very humid part of the state?

My pullets are between 10.5-13.5 weeks old right now. Anyway, 2 days ago I decided to switch feed to Nutrena starter/grower with 18% protein. Is this the right decision to promote healthy growth? Stop all treats (which isn't very much to begin with)? Stop all free-ranging? I just want to do what's right for the flock's overall health and growth. If I should stick with this one how long can I keep feeding it to them? All sources (besides BYC) tell me to switch to Layer at 16 week? That seems early...Help! Tell me what to do ;)
 
If you are just wanting to up protein, why not add in some scrambled of hard boiled eggs, alfalfa, the occasional can of tuna. Peanut butter covered pine cones are great treats too. What else is different between your friends chickens and yours? Growing fast isn't always the best thing either :)
 
If you are just wanting to up protein, why not add in some scrambled of hard boiled eggs, alfalfa, the occasional can of tuna. Peanut butter covered pine cones are great treats too. What else is different between your friends chickens and yours? Growing fast isn't always the best thing either
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The only other difference is hers all have much redder combs/wattles than mine, even the pullets!
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Are they the same breeds too?

My best piece of advice is to do what works for YOUR birds, not necessarily what works for someone else's birds....
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Are they the same breeds too?

My best piece of advice is to do what works for YOUR birds, not necessarily what works for someone else's birds....
wink.png

Yes, many of the original chicks I got in batches of 4, my friend bought half of them from me at just a few weeks old. Hers are larger and have redder combs/wattles than my SAME EXACT AGE/BREED chickens. It's weird. And the really strange part is that when I go over there I have to bite my tongue about the conditions she keeps hers in; it's less than sanitary and to her they're all expendable with no names. NOT pets, just an egg project for her. But she's been giving hers medicated chick starter since day 1 and they are now 13.5 weeks. Why would her birds be so much bigger and have redder combs?!
 
Maybe it was how early you switched them off the medicated feed. Since they've been free ranging, they might be carrying a small load of cocciciosis...


eta: My chicks don't touch the dirt until they are at least 4-5 months (unless broody raised) and they stay on medicated start n grow until they get switched to flock raiser around that same age (I don't feed layer)...
 
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Were in WA as well. My chicks are on medicated starter with spent brewery grains as supplement. My girls free range all day and are around 2 1/2 months. They are much bigger then my neighbor's chickens who are a few weeks younger than mine. He mixes his own grains for his. Also I raised 4 chicks for another neighbor and she rook them home two or three weeks ago and switched them to chick grower... mine are bigger then hers (not by too much though) as well with redder combs. It is interesting the difference feed can make.
 
There are a number of thing that cause slow growth in chicks, Nutrition, Environment, Parasites, etc.
If you were feeding a feed that was non-medicated, had no animal proteins and the chicks were on the ground at a young age [less than 4 week old] then that could be a good part of your problem.

Since you chicks are on a non-medicated feed now, what you might want to do is hit them with some corid then worm them with a good wormer like safeguard and then 10 days later hit them again.

Chris
 
OK they're on Corid and I bought some medicated feed today. I am going to keep them confined to the run through day 5 of the Corid (probably wise considering the 4th is just a few days away) to ensure they drink enough and so I can keep track of their poops. I also wormed them today, but didn't do a full dose since they're still very young (2.5-3mo!); Eprinex dose of 0.1cc (full grown birds should have 0.5cc and bantams should have 0.25cc, so I think they're safe from a toxic dose with what I gave them). I'm also going to up the ACV in their water to help them get balanced back out after all these meds! Poor babies :( I just can't wait to get them all healthy and growing fast again, and of course waiting for that first egg is killing me! LOL
 
Just use applecider vinegar! I had a coxccidosis outbreak and lost 5 chicks before I had any idea what was going on.
I added 1.5 tbs ACV to each gallon of drinking water every other day. I also used black walnut hull extract in their waterers every day that they didn't get the ACV.
All my chickens are alert and thriving now.

(I put 1 tbs/gallon of ACV in their waterers on each Friday's waterer fill-up to keep them worm/paracites free.)
I fed my chicks DuMOR starter/grower& then added soybean meal to boost its protein levels.
My 7 chicks get 1.5 cup of cracked corn every day. My oldest pullet has been on layer from 12 weeks until her first egg yesterday.
My 7 layers (& 1 Serama roo) eat Faithway 'Super' Layer (22% protein) free choice, 4 cups Nutrena Country Feeds layer(for some animal protein), 3 cups crk corn, and a small handful of BOSS each day.
I supply each food separately in the coop. (Except the crk corn & BOSS which I scatter for them each morning.)
 

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