chick starter question.

[River campbell]

what age do chicks go off chick starter, and what do i put them on next?

 

[azygous]

It makes absolutely no difference how long the chicks are on starter, or if the chicks never eat starter, or if older chickens eat it. It's exactly the same ingredients and nutrients as all flock feed except all flock has a tiny bit more protein. I and many others skip starter and just feed all flock. Chicks get it, layers get it, roosters get it, and retired hens get it. Oyster shell takes care of the calcium needs of the layers.

So, you may continue to feed starter until your pullets start to lay and then switch them to layer, or you can switch them to all flock feed (Purina Flock Raiser is one brand), and they can eat that as long as you want them to.

The only restriction on feed is that only active laying hens should eat it layer feed.

 

[Poodlemum]

I do chick starter because it’s smaller for tiny beaks, I won’t do adult crumbles. Just too much waste! Medicated or not depends on if you have vaccinated chicks, etc. You can’t feed medicated feed to vaccinated chicks apparently. We still got coccidiosis after moving them outside (they’d had field trips just fine), so it’s not failsafe. Once they’re of a good size, we feed All Flock since there’s so many ages in our flock and sometimes ducks. We put oyster shell out for the layers

 

[3KillerBs]

On the advice of many people here, I have feed one bag of medicated chick starter then, when it's gone, switched to an all-flock formula.

 

[Folly's place]

Chicks vaccinated against Marek's disease can eat medicated chick starter just fine. Chicks who have had the coccidiosis 'vaccine', actually a dose of less dangerous coccidia, will have that product rendered useless if they eat even one meal of chick starter including amprolium.
And an all flock diet like Flock Raiser is fine, as mentioned, unless you have issues with coccidiosis and need the medicated chick starter, fed for two or three weeks after the chicks are out on your ground.
Mary

 

[Ridgerunner]

what age do chicks go off chick starter, and what do i put them on next?

I'm not sure what's available where you are in Tasmania, I'm not sure what's available in the next feed store down the road from me here, it can vary. A lot of these names are more marketing names than precise descriptions but they generally describe their function. You can get differences between a major commercial feed like Purina and some specialty feeds such as "organic" feeds. There can be other things to add to the confusion but it's not that complicated.

There are basically two nutrients you need to pay attention to. Hopefully your feed bag has a label that gives the analysis, what percent nutrients are included. I'll do calcium first. Feeds for laying hens should have around 4% calcium content. Could be a bit more, could be a bit less, but around 4%. All other feeds should have about 1% calcium. Maybe a bit more, maybe a bit less, but around 1%. You don't want to feed growing chicks that high calcium feed, it can harm them. Whatever marketing name they use, the calcium content for growing chicks should be around 1%, not 4%.

The other variable is protein content. Products labeled for chickens can go from 15% protein to 20%. Some feeds not labeled for chickens can go higher, often 24% protein. There are no hard and fast rules here like there is for calcium. You will find that people do a lot of different things. Some of that depends on what you are raising them to be. You might feed a flock that will be a laying flock differently than one being raised for meat. If you are raising them for show, well that's a different diet. But a lot of it is just personal preference too. I'll assume yours will be a laying flock.

I think most of us will agree that for the first few weeks they should receive a higher protein content feed. For chickens that's typically 18% to 20%. That helps get the off to a good start and helps them feather out faster so weather doesn't bother them. I personally don't like to go above 20% protein because I don't think they need it but when I was raising turkey poults with chicken chicks I fed 24% for the first couple of weeks, that did not injure the chicken chicks.

My starter is 18% protein because that's what I have available. I feed that for the first 4 to 8 weeks, depending on when the bag of feed runs out. The exact length of time isn't critical. Whatever marketing name it is under (Starter, Starter-Grower, All-Flock, Flock Raiser, or something else) they continue to feed the 18% or 20% feed until they start to lay. Some even feed it after that, just offer oyster shell on the side for the ones that need the calcium for egg shells.

At this point. the 4 to 8 week range, some people cut back to a smaller protein content. Typically this is called Grower and may be 16% or 18% protein content. Many will feed this Grower until they start to lay or even beyond.

But some people switch to another feed around 11 to 12 weeks of age until they start to lay. These might be called Developer or Finisher and are 15% protein content. The thought is that they don't really need to keep growing their body size and a lower protein content gives their skeletons and internal organs a better chance to develop before they start to lay.

I think you have three basic options on how to feed a flock that will become a laying flock. In all cases they need low calcium until they start to lay.

1 - Feed them an 18% to 20% protein content from hatch until they start to lay.

2 - Feed them an 18% to 20% Starter for the first 4 to 8 weeks then a 16% to 18% Grower until they start to lay.

3 - The Starter (or whatever you call it) for 4 to 8 weeks, the Grower from 4 to 8 weeks until 11 or 12 weeks, and the 15% protein Finished/Developer until they start to lay.

 

[Carters Chick House]

It makes absolutely no difference how long the chicks are on starter, or if the chicks never eat starter, or if older chickens eat it. It's exactly the same ingredients and nutrients as all flock feed except all flock has a tiny bit more protein. I and many others skip starter and just feed all flock. Chicks get it, layers get it, roosters get it, and retired hens get it. Oyster shell takes care of the calcium needs of the layers.

I do chick starter because it’s smaller for tiny beaks, I won’t do adult crumbles. Just too much waste! Medicated or not depends on if you have vaccinated chicks, etc. You can’t feed medicated feed to vaccinated chicks apparently. We still got coccidiosis after moving them outside (they’d had field trips just fine), so it’s not failsafe. Once they’re of a good size, we feed All Flock since there’s so many ages in our flock and sometimes ducks. We put oyster shell out for the layers

So, you may continue to feed starter until your pullets start to lay and then switch them to layer, or you can switch them to all flock feed (Purina Flock Raiser is one brand), and they can eat that as long as you want them to.

The only restriction on feed is that only active laying hens should eat it layer

 

[Carters Chick House]

Is there a certain brand of chick starter thats better quality than others?

 

[azygous]

Most commercial brands of feed are reliably good quality as long as you check the mill date on the taped bag seam and only select a bag with a recent mill date, say, within a month or two of purchase. Stay away from anything older than four or five months.