Feeding Chicks

[Lilb88]

I have 10 egg laying pullets (4 isa browns, 4 barred rocks, and 2 brahmas). They are about 4-5 weeks old now. We are brand new to having chickens and learning a lot. I just ordered feed from a new store and when I ordered over the phone I said I wanted laying chicks starter/grower combo feed. I just did a curbside pickup so I didn't realize until I got home that they gave me Kalmbach 22% Start to Finish Meatbird Crumbles It was an hour drive, so if I could avoid having to go back to return it that would be ideal. Is this feed the right kind for my chicks or will it harm them? I thought I read never to feed laying hens meatbird feed, but since these are pullets is that different? Did they give me the correct feed? Thanks!

 

[Chicken Heel]

I don't believe it should harm them but for future reference, Kalmbach makes a 20% Flock Maker that you may want to transition to with the understanding that oyster shells should also be provided at 16 weeks since these are pullets. I currently use it with my larger breeds and bantams with no issues.

 

[Alagirl]

as far as I understand (noob myself) the protein is in a good range for growing birds. So no greater harm there.
I think 4-5 months is when most pullets start to lay, mine took their sweet time and didn't start til November (May chicks, I think, early June perhaps)
And offering the calcium on the side lets them adjust to their needs.
most feed in my area is 16% wich is considered on the low end. Even Purina layer feed is there.
You don't need to ever switch to layer feed if you don't want to or acquire a mixed flock with laying and non-laying birds, or even just layers if you offer calcium on the side.

 

[Saveria]

You want to make sure they get chick grit at least. You can order that from chewy, tractor supply, etc. Chick food is made to be easy to digest and crumbles may be a little harder for them. If they would take it soaked in a little water for 5-10 min, I would give it to them that way.

Is there anywhere closer you can get food? That may get old to have to drive that far.

 

[NatJ]

You want to make sure they get chick grit at least. You can order that from chewy, tractor supply, etc.

Grit is not a problem, but it is not really needed either.

Chick food is made to be easy to digest and crumbles may be a little harder for them.

Every chick starter I have ever seen was crumbles. As long as the crumbles are small enough for the chicks to swallow, they have no problem. The ingredients are ground into very small bits, then stuck back together into little bit bigger bits (crumbles) because chickens don't like eating fine powder.

Maybe you are thinking of pellets? Those are usually too big for a young chick to swallow.

If they would take it soaked in a little water for 5-10 min, I would give it to them that way.

If they eat it dry, it can "soak" in their crops just as well. There is nothing wrong with getting the feed wet before they eat it, but there is also nothing wrong with feeding it dry.

Kalmbach 22% Start to Finish Meatbird Crumbles

If the feed is labeled "start to finish," it is suitable for chicks ("start"). There is no need to worry about grit or about soaking it.

Is this feed the right kind for my chicks or will it harm them? I thought I read never to feed laying hens meatbird feed, but since these are pullets is that different?

I think it will be fine. The protein is a bit higher than people often buy to feed layer-type chicks. More protein usually means the feed is more expensive, but does not make it dangerous for the chickens.

About whether to feed meatbird feed to laying hens: do you remember what the reason was? Some reasons would apply to growing pullets, and some would not. For example, laying hens need more calcium than meat birds (so laying hens should either eat layer feed, or they should have a separate dish of oyster shell for calcium.) Young pullets do not need extra calcium, so that reason would not apply to them.

 

[Saveria]

Grit is not a problem, but it is not really needed either.


Every chick starter I have ever seen was crumbles. As long as the crumbles are small enough for the chicks to swallow, they have no problem. The ingredients are ground into very small bits, then stuck back together into little bit bigger bits (crumbles) because chickens don't like eating fine powder.

Maybe you are thinking of pellets? Those are usually too big for a young chick to swallow.

Yeah, we get a local brand. Their crumbles still have big enough chunks of grain and corn in it that I would be concerned. Maybe it is just cause they are a small company and they aren't producing it the same way as industrial feed? Good to know on the rest.

 

[Cindy in PA]

Yeah, we get a local brand. Their crumbles still have big enough chunks of grain and corn in it that I would be concerned. Maybe it is just cause they are a small company and they aren't producing it the same way as industrial feed? Good to know on the rest.

That sounds like a "mash" that has finely chopped grains & the dust of minerals & protein blends. Crumbles are all homogenized.

 

[Saveria]

Maybe my memory is betraying me, (it has been a while) but I could have sworn the grower crumbles from this company had flecks of corn and wheat in it. Not huge ones, but much bigger than the chick starter. It makes sense because they say not feed their crumble to chicks until they are some number of weeks old, I just naively thought it was the same across the board. It was cool to learn you can feed industrial made crumbles to chicks in a pinch.

 

[NatJ]

It was cool to learn you can feed industrial made crumbles to chicks in a pinch.

Checking the label is always a good idea.

If the feeding instrucations say "feed from hatch until [some age]" then it is designed for chicks and should be fine.

If it says "starter crumbles" or "chick feed crumbles" or any such label, it is probably meant for chicks from the time they hatch, although checking the feeding instructions is a good way to be sure.

I could have sworn the grower crumbles from this company had flecks of corn and wheat in it. Not huge ones, but much bigger than the chick starter. It makes sense because they say not feed their crumble to chicks until they are some number of weeks old, I just naively thought it was the same across the board.

That seems really weird to me, because just about every chick starter I can find says "crumbles" right on the bag or the description. That has been true every time I looked, for quite a lot of years.

Examples from the Tractor Supply website:
Purina Start & Grow crumbles
Purina Organic Starter/Grower crumbles
Nutrena Naturewise Starter Grower crumbles
Nature's Best Organic Chick Starter/Grower crumbles

Dumor Chick Starter/Grower doesn't say "crumbles" where I can see it on the website, but I've bought it before and it is too. They ground everything small (like flour), then made it into crumbles that are bigger than grains of flour but small enough for chicks to eat.

Some grower feeds have less protein than starter feeds, so they say not to feed to younger chicks because they don't have enough protein for the first weeks. So I don't know whether the one you experienced was saying it because of the piece size, or because of the nutritional content (protein or something else.)

 

[Saveria]

They say you can feed their grower crumbles from 2-3 weeks on. Like you said, not sure if it is due to digestibility or protein content. The only chick feed this company has is a mash, it sounds like they just have a different setup from most companies. It is great feed, though, never smells rancid and the hens always love it. Even my cat tries to eat it.

https://www.greenmountainfeeds.com/products/poultry/organic-broiler-grower-crumbles/

I will grab a bag when we have our chicks and see if I was thinking of the pellets when I was recalling the chunks in there. I felt sure, but I have learned not to always trust my brain on it's recall abilities.