Feeding Silkie Roosters

[bakhbakhchicken123]

Hi! I own two 18 week old pet silkie roosters and I've been thinking about how to transition their feed. I made the mistake of trusting a Petsmart employee who told me to feed them MannaPro's laying feed which has way too much calcium for them, esp since they don't need it because they are roosters. I've been feeding them those pellets as well as MannaPro medicated crumble for over a month now. I've been researching and I've read that grower feed is ideal, however it's pretty expensive. I was thinking of buying MannaPro's 16% All Flock crumbles w/ Probiotics but I am really not sure what the difference between non-medicated crumble which is way cheaper and the all flock is..My roosters are pretty skinny + small and look stunted for their age. I was wondering if it was okay to continue with the Non-medicated crumble from MannaPro for the rest of their life.Please comment down below with some advice as well as specific branded products I should buy for them!

 

[Willow2253]

I would compare the nutrition info on the different feeds. Since you’re just feeding boys though, I don’t think their nutritional needs are that different from growing birds, though they probably require less protein. The grower feed may still be fine in that regulars though. I would also suggest looking at other feeds available where you shop to see if there’s other good options that are less expensive.
Unfortunately pet store employees don’t always know what they’re talking about when giving advice on animals. Your boys should be fine having had some layer feed, it’s prolonged use that can have negative effects if too much calcium builds up in their systems.

 

[bakhbakhchicken123]

I would compare the nutrition info on the different feeds. Since you’re just feeding boys though, I don’t think their nutritional needs are that different from growing birds, though they probably require less protein. The grower feed may still be fine in that regulars though. I would also suggest looking at other feeds available where you shop to see if there’s other good options that are less expensive.
Unfortunately pet store employees don’t always know what they’re talking about when giving advice on animals. Your boys should be fine having had some layer feed, it’s prolonged use that can have negative effects if too much calcium builds up in their systems.

can you recommend inexpensive specific grower feeds for them that can be purchased online?

 

[Willow2253]

I buy mine at the feed store, but I usually use purina or nutrena.

 

[RoostersAreAwesome]

All flock, flock raiser, and grower are all good for roosters. I personally use flock raiser, even though I only have hens now.