Feed question for 6-7 week old chicks

[WaveyCreekChickens]

I have to buy more chick feed, and wondered if I should stick with the starter feed:
https://www.masterfeeds.com/nutrition/farm-choice-20-poultry-startergrower-crumble/
or get the grower feed:
https://www.masterfeeds.com/nutrition/farm-choice-16-poultry-growerfinisher-crumble/

This is for the whole flock.
What would you recommend?

Thanks

 

[WaveyCreekChickens]

This is also a listed for the same store, but I don’t know if it’s available.
https://www.masterfeeds.com/nutrition/farm-choice-38-layergrower-supplement/

 

[U_Stormcrow]

Recommend you stay on the Starter. The 38% is for making your own feed with bulk grains. The 16% is low protein, with no list of Amino Acid levels - I'd avoid while your birds remain in their growth stage. Honestly, if you can afford to, I'd simply avoid.

 

[WaveyCreekChickens]

Recommend you stay on the Starter. The 38% is for making your own feed with bulk grains. The 16% is low protein, with no list of Amino Acid levels - I'd avoid while your birds remain in their growth stage. Honestly, if you can afford to, I'd simply avoid.

Thanks so much!

 

[WaveyCreekChickens]

Recommend you stay on the Starter. The 38% is for making your own feed with bulk grains. The 16% is low protein, with no list of Amino Acid levels - I'd avoid while your birds remain in their growth stage. Honestly, if you can afford to, I'd simply avoid.

The 16% grower feed is the same price as the 20% chick feed.
I am wondering why the discrepancy in what the feed company recommends ( quote from the 16% grower feed: “Feed as the sole ration to pullets intended for laying – seven to 17 weeks.”) and what is recommended here.

 

[NatJ]

The 16% grower feed is the same price as the 20% chick feed.
I am wondering why the discrepancy in what the feed company recommends ( quote from the 16% grower feed: “Feed as the sole ration to pullets intended for laying – seven to 17 weeks.”) and what is recommended here.

Usually the lower-protein feed will be cheaper (obviously not always.)

The feed recommendations are based on what level of protein is the minimum for each age of chicken, with an assumption that lower protein feed is cheaper.

So to raise layer chicks as cheaply as possible, you need the higher protein when they are young, but can save money by using the lower protein feed when they are a little older.

The higher protein does not hurt older chicks. It just costs more money (normally).

When the two kinds are actually the same price, you might as well buy the higher protein.

 

[U_Stormcrow]

Because companies use market segmentation to sell more product - and can point at studies from the late 60s, 70s, 80s showing 16% protein feed diets as adequate to commercial layers, in that time, under commercial conditions, subject to commercial management.

Subsequent studies have shown that modern birds do better (remember, those early studies were designed to find the bare minimum diet) with a more nutritious feed. Also, unlike commercial layers, most BYCers keep their birds longer than 15-20 months - the point where commercial egg producers are turning their "old" birds into pet food, poultry meal, etc...

I went on a tirade, here. Parts of it may be instructive.

 

[WaveyCreekChickens]

Usually the lower-protein feed will be cheaper (obviously not always.)

The feed recommendations are based on what level of protein is the minimum for each age of chicken, with an assumption that lower protein feed is cheaper.

So to raise layer chicks as cheaply as possible, you need the higher protein when they are young, but can save money by using the lower protein feed when they are a little older.

The higher protein does not hurt older chicks. It just costs more money (normally).

When the two kinds are actually the same price, you might as well buy the higher protein.

Because companies use market segmentation to sell more product - and can point at studies from the late 60s, 70s, 80s showing 16% protein feed diets as adequate to commercial layers, in that time, under commercial conditions, subject to commercial management.

Subsequent studies have shown that modern birds do better (remember, those early studies were designed to find the bare minimum diet) with a more nutritious feed. Also, unlike commercial layers, most BYCers keep their birds longer than 15-20 months - the point where commercial egg producers are turning their "old" birds into pet food, poultry meal, etc...

I went on a tirade, here. Parts of it may be instructive.

Thank you both! Very good to know!

 

[Idaho Chicken Bungalow]

I have two 15 week pullets eating out of the layer feed. I think I will go back to starter feed for a while. My oldest pullets are 13 months. It has been a concern of mine when the 15 weekers eat the layer feed.

 

[rosemarythyme]

The 16% grower feed is the same price as the 20% chick feed.
I am wondering why the discrepancy in what the feed company recommends ( quote from the 16% grower feed: “Feed as the sole ration to pullets intended for laying – seven to 17 weeks.”) and what is recommended here.

Only consideration I guess would be if you want to slow their growth down for some reason. Lower protein should lead to slower or possibly even slightly stunted growing, though I haven't done any experimentation to test that.