Fluffy Butt Acres: Stories of our flock

[rural mouse]

16 weeks

Not entirely true. Same type of feed as the crumble (ie: not layer, but is high in protein) they should be able to eat if they're eating wild things of roughly the same size (like bugs). If time is taken to break it up a bit (like a mama hen does), they can eat if from the beginning.

@RoyalChick

 

[GregnLety]

OMG I thought that was weed lol

If it was weed you could get high as a kite here,

 

[ValarieF]

 

[ValarieF]

 

[RoyalChick]

Not entirely true. Same type of feed as the crumble (ie: not layer, but is high in protein) they should be able to eat if they're eating wild things of roughly the same size (like bugs). If time is taken to break it up a bit (like a mama hen does), they can eat if from the beginning.

@RoyalChick

Per @Ponypoor’s suggestion I offered it to them.
They are still a bit freaked out by me so they all jumped up and ran away.
Piglet however …… !!
So Piglet came back to investigate what I had in my hand. I think she assumes everything is food until proven otherwise. So naturally she gave it a go. If it was the only food around she would not starve, but she can clearly eat the crumbles faster. She took the pellets and beat them into submission before eating the pieces (which at that point were crumble).
I think I will buy one more small bag of crumble and start giving them pellets regularly as well. My guess is by next week everyone will be just fine with pellets.

 

[knoturavggrl]

Can anyone give me a guess as to when the littles might be able to eat pellets rather than crumble?
I will run out of chick crumble before the end of the week and trying to decide how big a bag to get. I generally prefer pellets because of waste but I assume they are too big for the babies to eat.
Worst case I can make mash of course but at the rate these gals are eating I would be making new bowls of mash every few hours!

I would bet they could eat pellets much earlier than 16 weeks. I think that recommendation about the 16 weeks is more about chick feed nutrition vs crumble or pellet. Mine are just now a week old and they are already eating the smaller sunflower seeds without a problem.
I used all-flock pellets with my first batch and mixed it in so they could get used to eating it. We all know how much chickens love change lol.

My suggestion would be to grab one bag of the chick crumbles and start mixing it with pellets gradually till that bag is gone and then they should fine, they will be a bit bigger by then plus they will be completely used to it.

Not entirely true. Same type of feed as the crumble (ie: not layer, but is high in protein) they should be able to eat if they're eating wild things of roughly the same size (like bugs). If time is taken to break it up a bit (like a mama hen does), they can eat if from the beginning.

@RoyalChick

I have been using Chickhouse reserve this time and its got some sunflower seeds and whole peas mixed in. I was so surprised to see Brownie break open sunflower seeds for the chicks! I had no idea they did that until now. Its adorable.

 

[RoyalChick]

I would bet they could eat pellets much earlier than 16 weeks. I think that recommendation about the 16 weeks is more about chick feed nutrition vs crumble or pellet. Mine are just now a week old and they are already eating the smaller sunflower seeds without a problem.
I used all-flock pellets with my first batch and mixed it in so they could get used to eating it. We all know how much chickens love change lol.

My suggestion would be to grab one bag of the chick crumbles and start mixing it with pellets gradually till that bag is gone and then they should fine, they will be a bit bigger by then plus they will be completely used to it.

I have been using Chickhouse reserve this time and its got some sunflower seeds and whole peas mixed in. I was so surprised to see Brownie break open sunflower seeds for the chicks! I had no idea they did that until now. Its adorable.

How adorable.
Yes, I am going to do exactly what you suggest and give them a bit of both.

 

[ValarieF]

I would bet they could eat pellets much earlier than 16 weeks. I think that recommendation about the 16 weeks is more about chick feed nutrition vs crumble or pellet. Mine are just now a week old and they are already eating the smaller sunflower seeds without a problem.
I used all-flock pellets with my first batch and mixed it in so they could get used to eating it. We all know how much chickens love change lol.

My suggestion would be to grab one bag of the chick crumbles and start mixing it with pellets gradually till that bag is gone and then they should fine, they will be a bit bigger by then plus they will be completely used to it.

I have been using Chickhouse reserve this time and its got some sunflower seeds and whole peas mixed in. I was so surprised to see Brownie break open sunflower seeds for the chicks! I had no idea they did that until now. Its adorable.

Yea I was thinking of layer feed they can eat pellets as babies because they eat everything with mama hen

 

[bgmathteach]

Can anyone give me a guess as to when the littles might be able to eat pellets rather than crumble?
I will run out of chick crumble before the end of the week and trying to decide how big a bag to get. I generally prefer pellets because of waste but I assume they are too big for the babies to eat.
Worst case I can make mash of course but at the rate these gals are eating I would be making new bowls of mash every few hours!

I would say pretty close to 8 weeks before pellets. Unless you have really small pellets.

 

[bgmathteach]

Thank you.
Do others have roughly the same experience?
Everyone else, I know how to convert pellets into crumble and have a full armory of weapons to help me do that.
However I want to figure out how much crumble to buy so that I don’t have to go through the hassle of grinding, chopping or otherwise pulverizing pellets!

If you have grower pellets, 8 weeks. If you have layer pellets only, then when the first one starts to lay, switch them all.