Feeding

[dolphin22]

My chicks are 3 months and only like to eat chick starter food. How can you get them to eat adult chicken food?

 

[duckinnut]

What are you switching them too? Most grower and flock raiser is also available in crumbles.Currently I have 10wk olds in with year plus hens and have them on flock raiser(pellet and crumble mixed. And of course oyster shell for the layers.

 

[sunnydalefarms]

I would just make the switch. They will start eating it when they get hungry enough.

 

[Delta2 23]

Mine started on pullet pellets around about two or three months: once they got onto that it was a breeze to change them onto layer pellets. I think it's something to do with familiarity, the crumbles looked very similar to the chick starter and they were comfortable eating it.

my younger two, meanwhile, saw the older hens eating layer feed and couldn't wait

They shook the chick starter at less than two months and started eating layers with the big girls

 

[WestKnollAmy]

Mine stay on starter until they are laying or are ready for the freezer.
They have access to free range once they are around 3 months but get plenty of other things before that time, too and often start going outside in little pens on the ground during the day once they are 6 weeks old. My oldest birds are 8 years old so I must be doing something right. Once they get close to laying they will start eating the oyster shell that is left out for the free range laying flock and they are always nibbling at the laying mash in the big girls' coop.

You have a long way to go before they are ready to lay. Why deprive them of all the nutrients they are getting in starter?