feeding question regarding different ages.

[Morgan7782]

I have two 9 week old chicks, and I am getting four hatchlings on June 17th. I will be putting them together when my first batch is about 20 weeks and my second batch is about 10 weeks depending on how they interact in the seperated runs.

What would be the best way to feed two age groups like this? I have the 9 week olds on all purpose grower, but:

A.) Would it be easiest to change 9 weekers back to the chick starter so everybody is eating the same?

B.) Can I feed chick starter until I change to layer crumbles? With no grower in between?

C.) Would it be a bad idea to mix the grower and chick starter together and feed the two groups that?

D.) Is it bad to go from Starter, then grower, then back to starter? Will I harm them?

Any advice would be great thanks a ton. I know this is early, but I am excited and want to learn all I can.

 

[briteday]

I only feed the starter for a few weeks, and only for the benefit of the anti-cocci amprolium ingredient. Once my chicks have been "on dirt" (for me that means out to the coop where their feet actually touch dirt where coccie live vs. being in a box with shavings) I give it two weeks and they go to grower (Flockraiser in our case). So they are about 5-6 weeks old when I switch them.

It won't hurt your older chicks to go back to starter. Purina suggests using their starter until switching to layer around 16-18 weeks old I think. I wouldn't bother mixing starter and grower.

 

[Morgan7782]

Thank you very much! I will finish this grower I have with the older chicks and then put the entire foursome on starter. It will make it easier to deal with

One more feeding question:

I will have 4 standard hens. Will I be able to go through a 50 lb bag of feed without it taking so long that it goes bad? Or should I still stick with the 25 lb range?

 

[D'Angelo N Va.]

I have always used starter and grower(combined in bag) until the chick is about 14-17 wks of age and then laying pellets. I just recently heard of flock raiser since I have been a member of BYC (dec), which is why i love this site so much...it is so helpful. To be honest I always got my animal feed at Southern States near my home and didn't even realize that Purina made as much poultry food as they did....da.