Experienced breeder recommended cracked corn

[Corgisbunniesnchicks]

I just got 6 D’uccle chicks today that are 4 days old. I have no experience. I got them from a local breeder that also shows them. He’s an old timer that’s been doing this all his life so I felt pretty confident in most of his advice. But one thing he said went against what I’ve read so I’m confused. He said that he discovered giving his young chicks starter feed “burned their stomachs” and he lost a lot of chicks that way. So he gives cracked corn or scratch for the first 10 days and then switches to starter feed. He gave me a container of cracked corn to feed them. I don’t usually like going against breeders but I’m just not sure about this. Has anyone else ever heard that about chicks or specifically D’uccles or other bantams? My husband suggested I mix some of the feed in with the cracked corn so if there’s anything to it, they would have diluted feed. Any ideas? Thanks.

 

[pozees2]

I can't say I've ever heard any advice against giving chick starter, and have been advised since I first got chicks that they should get *only* chick starter for at least the first three weeks. Commercially available chick starter is formulated specifically for newly hatched chicks, and has all the nutrients they need to grow and thrive. That said, I've only ever raised a few D'Uccles over the years, which did just fine on chick starter, but perhaps an expert on this specific breed will chime in with different advice.

 

[Corgisbunniesnchicks]

I can't say I've ever heard any advice against giving chick starter, and have been advised since I first got chicks that they should get *only* chick starter for at least the first three weeks. Commercially available chick starter is formulated specifically for newly hatched chicks, and has all the nutrients they need to grow and thrive. That said, I've only ever raised a few D'Uccles over the years, which did just fine on chick starter, but perhaps an expert on this specific breed will chime in with different advice.

Thank you! I’ve been adding small amounts of chick starter to the cracked corn to gradually get them accustomed to it. So far no pasty butts and they seem to be doing great! I’ll keep my fingers crossed !