Quote:
NEVER feed chicks adult feed > things go really wrong on so many levels but basically the excess calcium can damage organs and kill them... hopefully the feed adjustment will be enough...
Agreed!
By the way, don't get chick feed with antibiotics - get it with Amprolium, which is an anti-protazoa additive. MOst chick starters/starter-growers have amprolium. Just wanted to make sure you knew there's a difference. (Cocci are protazoa).
You can also give them all a bit of yogurt daily for a week to jump start their nutrition and help their guts adjust to the diet change. Then give it weekly while they grow to facilitate thriftiness. Plain, unflavored please.
They should remain on starter from weeks 1 - 6 usually, then starter grower til about 5 months or until you see the first plumping and reddening of their comb. Then you integrate laying pellets into their feed slowly. (Diet changes should ideally be done slowly.) At five months, you can introduce oyster shell as a calcium supplement for those birds who feel they n eed more. At that age, or when their combs start to "cherry up" (turn red and get more large) I start giving organic apple cider vinegar once or twice a week and the yogurt weekly. If they're eating any solids before that, make sure you slowly introduce chick or adult grit before they get solids.
But 90% of their diet, if not 95% should be an age-appropriate complete feed. Starter or starter grower for babies, etc.
NEVER feed chicks adult feed > things go really wrong on so many levels but basically the excess calcium can damage organs and kill them... hopefully the feed adjustment will be enough...
Agreed!
By the way, don't get chick feed with antibiotics - get it with Amprolium, which is an anti-protazoa additive. MOst chick starters/starter-growers have amprolium. Just wanted to make sure you knew there's a difference. (Cocci are protazoa).
You can also give them all a bit of yogurt daily for a week to jump start their nutrition and help their guts adjust to the diet change. Then give it weekly while they grow to facilitate thriftiness. Plain, unflavored please.
They should remain on starter from weeks 1 - 6 usually, then starter grower til about 5 months or until you see the first plumping and reddening of their comb. Then you integrate laying pellets into their feed slowly. (Diet changes should ideally be done slowly.) At five months, you can introduce oyster shell as a calcium supplement for those birds who feel they n eed more. At that age, or when their combs start to "cherry up" (turn red and get more large) I start giving organic apple cider vinegar once or twice a week and the yogurt weekly. If they're eating any solids before that, make sure you slowly introduce chick or adult grit before they get solids.
But 90% of their diet, if not 95% should be an age-appropriate complete feed. Starter or starter grower for babies, etc.
