countryside natural chick feed too big?

[esthermgr]

Has anyone else noticed that Countryside Natural's chick starter feed is waaaay to big for young chicks? I mean, there are whole pieces of dried corn in there, for Pete's sake. I LOVE the ingredient list and the fact that it's so natural, but the size is formulated for godzilla chicks. Am I worrying too much? Anyone else successfully raised chicks from day 1 on just Countryside Natural?


I've tried running it through a blender but certain parts get ground to dust while the hard seed stays huge. Please help - I love the ingredients but I'm worried my chicks aren't getting enough to eat. I'll be really upset if I paid a premium for this feed only to have my chicks starve because it's too darn chunky.

 

[BriteChicken]

What I realized when i started reasearching homemade whole grains is that Mother nature doesn't crush the grains up and as long as you give them grit it should be ok but I might pick out the Whole Corn Kernels I'm substituting Meal for Kernels right now... But don't take my word for it I'm a newbie Good Luck!

 

[VerlonCox]

Esther, I have used it and it sounds like we are thinking the exact same way. I have seen the whole pieces of corn and set there and scratched my head. I will tell you that the batch of chicks that I raised off of it seemed like they had a lot more energy. I used the blender as well and I ended up with dust but it worked out for me. When I hatch my serama's I use the dust for the chicks and I also use it for the first few days on ANY of my other one to three day old chicks and then switch over. Its good to see someone else on here that thinks that all natural is a good way to go. If you ever want to swap idea's shoot me a PM.

 

[esthermgr]

Well, I looked at the Countryside website, and it claims that the larger sizes help stimulate the gizzard for better long term health. That makes sense, but only if the chicks get grit. I have emailed them to ask if the feed contains grit. If it doesn't I will provide some free choice grit and hope for the best. The ingredient list reads like something I would bake bread with. So I like giving it to the creatures whose meat and eggs I will eventually eat. I really have no desire to feed my food stuff I don't recognize. But I want them to get their balanced nutrients, too!

 

[eponagirl]

I started my chicks last year on the Countryside Natural chick starter and plan to do so this year as well (I feed the layer feed to the others now). The feed doesn't contain grit, so I gave them Chick Grit too in the brooder. I had no issues feeding this way and my chickens love this food...it has probiotics (good bacteria) in it which helps build their immune system as well. It's the only feed I've ever used, so have nothing else to compare. I had no incident of cocci, but I also kept the brooder cleaned every day.

Good to hear more people are using this great feed!

 

[Bravo]

Cant you just grind it up in an old coffee grinder first? If you already have the bag that would be the easiest way to salvage it