how long do you keep your chicks on starter feed?, sent my husband to get more chick feed today at the store and they said that they are finished carring it for the season....on one bag it said to feed layer's till 6 weeks of age and then switch to the next step of feed, the last bag of started feed we brought home it said to feed started feed untill 18 weeks of age.... at that age they start laying eggs so wouldn't it be unsafe to have them on it?....i'm so confussed.
Hopefully you are mistaken about a feed bag saying to feed layer til 6 weeks of age. If not, the bag is, and that is quite disturbing. Chicks can be seriously harmed eating layer, as it gives them more calcium than they can handle. I see why you are confused. Here is how it works: Starter til about 6 or 8 weeks Grower from then til they start to lay, or around 20 weeks then layer Or, around here they sell a starter/grower combination feed, so I just feed that til point of lay. If one bag said to feed starter til 18 weeks, I imagine that would be about the same as our starter/grower, since that is close to point of lay.
I find the feed thing confusing also. My oldest chicks are around 7 weeks old I went to the feed store looking for something inbetween starter and layer feed and they said that all they had was layer for that age. I figured that they were wrong and asked about a grower or something and they told me that it was only used for meat birds. I came home with the bag of layer, but I have decided that I will continue with the starter until they are older. I hate going in there asking about stuff like that, they all look at me like I've got 3 heads or something.
yeah, funny, i got that "i've got 3 heads" look too! i got grower, they seem to like it, and i am giving them good grit (big and little) and about to start free-ranging.
You are ok with anything except the layer pellets or feed. Chicks do not need layer feed until they ready to lay eggs. Think about this...and it brings comfort to me when I worry about them: chickens have thrived for centuries just scratching in the yard and eating scraps...so that's a head start for us as novices. Now so far as "asking" at the feed store...the one here Tractor Supply has kids running it. They did have a bona fide horse woman there but fired her..she had a college degree and had run a ranch but we figured she threatened the "city manager's" job so he got rid of her. We all asked for her when we went in. Itrusted her word..But these other kids there? NEVER trust the welfare of my brood to them. Go on the net and read.. So remembering that if you protect the chicks from predators and feed them hormone free feed and have plenty of fresh water for them and give them the medications on schedule you going to have fresh farm eggs on your table.
That's what I figured, way to early for layer. These people are not kids, they have been working there for years and years. That's why I am so intimidated by their attitudes. Almost makes me feel like I should lie and tell them I have meat birds in order to buy a bag of grower! Ugh!
This is the best place to get your information. I wish I knew about this when i first started. Now as you get better and grow with your chickens you can go to the store ask the questions and have fun with it. I do it. I have been laid off since Nov. I went to the TSC store to get a job and the lady told me that we cannot pay you what you want. I told her it was better than nothing and asked me about my farming experience. Lets see Planting crops, maintance on tractors, gardening, chickens, some horses, pigs and cows. She said that I did not have enough experience. She was scared that I would take her job.
You're right, this is the best place for info. Sound like you definitely would have taken her job, you would be over qualified by the sounds of it!
I have an organic feed that says "Starter/Grower" on the bag. It can be confusing, but it's not Layer, so it must be fine.