chick food?

[laceyc1187]

How long do I keep my chick's on chick starter?

 

[Ol Grey Mare]

Are you raising laying breeds or meat birds?

 

[laceyc1187]

Laying, hopefully they'll be hens.

 

[pdirt]

You can keep them on starter until they start laying. Or you can switch to grower at 8-12 weeks.

In either case, you can do one of the following once they start laying:

A) switch to layer. okay if your flock are all hens and no chicks or roosters.

Or

B) feed grower or all-flock or flock-raiser feed and keep a dish always full of crushed oyster shells. The layers will eat the shells for calcium to build eggshells and any chicks, roos, or molting hens will mostly leave the oyster shells alone.

 

[Ol Grey Mare]

You can keep them on starter until they start laying. Or you can switch to grower at 8-12 weeks.

In either case, you can do one of the following once they start laying:

A) switch to layer. okay if your flock are all hens and no chicks or roosters.

Or

B) feed grower or all-flock or flock-raiser feed and keep a dish always full of crushed oyster shells. The layers will eat the shells for calcium to build eggshells and any chicks, roos, or molting hens will mostly leave the oyster shells alone.

X 2 - I use plan B from above, the ultimate simple feed program - I actually feed grower from day one to the last day of any bird's life in our flock, don't even mess around with starter or layer.

 

[donrae]

Plan B here also. I have two momma hens with chicks, a pen of roosters and a bunch of layers. Everyone eats grower/all-in-one. I'm a firm believer in keeping things simple.

 

[lumpy14]

my chickens love water melon. anyone else have chickens that eat watermelon?

 

[Ol Grey Mare]

my chickens love water melon. anyone else have chickens that eat watermelon?

Yes - watermelon is a very common treat offered to backyard flocks and is generally quite a hit with the birds.