Chics ready for outside soon

[Jesshann777]

I have chickens almost ready to go outside soon they are 11 weeks and I was aiming to out them outside at 15 once the weather warms up a bit and they are almost fully feathered. My question is about the feed. The 16% layer feed says not to let chickens eat this till they are at 18 weeks. How do I feed the smaller chickens grower feed until they are ready for layer feed ?

 

[SunHwaKwon]

There are many threads on this since it is a very common question. There are two types of people - those who feed "staged" feeds, including layer, and those that don't. I belong to group #2, as do many others. Give them a multi-stage food such as Flock Raiser crumbles (though I use 20% meat bird pellets) from hatch til death and once they are close to laying set out some oyster shell and/or crushed egg shells in a separate dish for them. If you really insist on doing staged feeds, then yes you would put them on grower until they are closer to laying.

PS. IMO they could have moved outside weeks ago. I brood my chicks outside year round.

 

[aart]

I have chickens almost ready to go outside soon they are 11 weeks and I was aiming to out them outside at 15 once the weather warms up a bit and they are almost fully feathered. My question is about the feed. The 16% layer feed says not to let chickens eat this till they are at 18 weeks. How do I feed the smaller chickens grower feed until they are ready for layer feed ?

Welcome to BYC @Jesshann777 !!

What is your climate/location?
They should have been fully feathered at about 4-5 weeks.

I also use a flock raiser for all ages and genders.

 

[azygous]

Yeah, feeding different feeds at different stages and then later, juggling different feeds in a mixed flock, waaaaaay too much trouble.

Besides being complicated and having way better things to do, I began feeding Flock Raiser, an all-flock feed, because my layers were refusing to eat their layer ration. The minute I set out the Flock Raiser, they suddenly had voracious appetites. Now I ferment the Flock Raiser, and everyone eats that, from day-old chicks to my aging hens and the rooster. The hens consume oyster shell, which I have in containers screwed to the sides of the run, according to their individual needs.

It's difficult to offer advice about your chicks without knowing what region you are in, Bahamas, Equatorial Africa, Hawaii, Alaska, Australia, Texas? It makes a big difference. Please fill out your profile info so we can gauge our replies.

 

[JHann777]

Welcome to BYC @Jesshann777
!!

What is your climate/location?
They should have been fully feathered at about 4-5 weeks.

I also use a flock raiser for all ages and genders.

I live in Northern Pennsylvania in the United States . Weather has been around in the low 20s to single digits some nights . I should be putting them out the end of this week permentaly in the coop. I didn't know they were ready already ??? They are 11 weeks soon and seems like the all the feathers are in. My flock hasn't been too nice to them so I have been trying to do it in steps. Letting the newbies mingle longer each day with the flock and get used to being cold outside. Thank you for the feed advice I was rattling my brain about it.