Chick feed

[Paz]

Hello there, I went to the feed place to see if they have chick feed. They don’t. The pet store also doesn’t have it.
(Chicks should hatch in 10 days and I want to make sure I have everything)
So my question is: what would be better for them to eat? Pullet starter, general meat bird feed, or turkey feed?
They have turkeys feed 2-3 (I guess that’s stages).

 

[21hens-incharge]

Do they have an all flock or flock raiser?

 

[Paz]

Do they have an all flock or flock raiser?

Negative. My flock eats a mix of layer feed and pullet starter. The rooster usually takes pullet starter, the layers usually eat the layer feed and the retired hens usually eat some of both, and a lot of weeds.

 

[Paz]

I put their food in two different containers so they can choose which one they want to eat. I think they know what is best for them.

 

[mochimomo]

Do you have a walmart near you?

 

[Vata Raven]

I read corn meal was used way back in the day before chick feed was a thing.

 

[NatJ]

I read corn meal was used way back in the day before chick feed was a thing.

Corn meal can be part of what a chick eats, but if they are kept indoors and fed only cornmeal they will have nutritional problems pretty soon.

If the chicks are running around outside with a hen (which was normal before incubators became common), they would be getting part of their nutrition from other things (like bugs), and providing some cornmeal probably was helpful.

 

[Paz]

Do you have a walmart near you?

I live In Israel

 

[Paz]

Corn meal can be part of what a chick eats, but if they are kept indoors and fed only cornmeal they will have nutritional problems pretty soon.

If the chicks are running around outside with a hen (which was normal before incubators became common), they would be getting part of their nutrition from other things (like bugs), and providing some cornmeal probably was helpful.

So should I just put them with the hen outside?

 

[NatJ]

So should I just put them with the hen outside?

It's not usually quite that simple.

If the hen is sitting on the eggs, and the chicks hatch, they can live with her outside.
But if the chicks hatch in an incubator, and you try to put them with a hen that has not been broody, the hen will either ignore them (so they die of neglect) or kill them (she might think they are food, or she might think they are intruders and try to drive them away).

Chicks that are living with a mother outdoors will eat whatever the hen finds for them to eat. In some places, that is enough for them to grow and be healthy. But more often, there is not enough stuff available for them to eat. If there is not enough food, they may starve and die, or they may stay alive but grow slowly and not be healthy.

Providing chick food is usually a very good idea.

In the first post, you said you can get "pullet starter" feed. That is probably a good choice for feeding chicks. A food labeled "starter" is usually meant for chicks to eat from the very first (when they "start" eating). If the label has feeding instructions, you can see whether it mentions what age it is meant for.