IMO, most chickens prefer chick starter, multi-flock, and grower b/c it's higher protein. Must satisfy their protein craving better. They'll eventually come around to eating the layer. The ONLY reason I feed layer instead of multi-flock is b/c it's cheaper.I just got my first bag of layer pellets and have been feeding it to the 5.5 month olds for just under a week, fermented of course. Well, the ferment is very different than the grower/finisher was... but it's wet, anyway!
The chickens seem very un-interested in it. Three of the four have just started laying.
In the last 5 days they've only finished up their dish of food once. Usually it's eaten up every day!
They get a small amount of veggie scraps, but otherwise don't get tons of treats. They don't free range but they have a large open pen. Do I just need to wait it out?
I've never used medicated feed, and never intend to. For the first several years, I had to fight with the feed store staff about medicated feed every time I picked up feed. They told me that I'd kill my chicks if I didn't give them medicated feed. I told them that if they didn't have non medicated feed available, I'd just have to go elsewhere. Finally, this year, they've started stocking non medicated. Seems that a lot of other folks wanted to kill their chicks with non medicated feed also.F2f chick starter? I am concerned the medicated feed will be altered...which I guess it will but sis the medicated stuff that imported to keep as is?
Agreed! Listen to this lady folks... She's got a lot of experience behind her words.Nope. Your chicks are better served by the use of the cultures in FF than in the medication in the feed. No worries...ferment away. In the future, you can skip medicated feeds altogether, as they serve absolutely no purpose.
I've never had a chick with coccidiosis... period! I do ferment, and get them a plug of sod to munch on during their first week. Get them on the ground ASAP!I have never had a chick that was eating fermented feeds get coccidiosis. Can't make the same claim about other feeds.
When I can't find unmedicated starter, I buy a bag of multi-flock. They love it b/c it's high protein.The last bag of grower feed I bought was medicated because I couldn't find unmedicated at the time. It fermented just fine and the pullets loved it.
Still having trouble getting them to eat the fermented layer feed we just switched to. They are slowly getting used to it.