How long can chickens stay on start/grow feed?

[Uppity Peon]

My Purina sack says to use the medicated for 18 weeks and then change to Layer food.

 

[threehorses]

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Yep, that's how Purina reads. They have to pick some average date since they can't individualize feeds.

That being said, I still keep them on it until the pullets (not cockerels) start to redden and change in their combs. Not all birds develop at the same time, so I let their bodies tell me when to start integrating the feed.

 

[fiberart57]

I am so confused! This thread is making me think that I'm not feeding my chicks the right kind of food.

The feed store where I bought my chicks said to leave them on chick starter until 8 - 12 weeks. Since I was going to run out of chick starter at about 10 weeks I bought some Manna-Pro Triple Duty, once again recommended by the feed store. Also, the Storey's book says to try to slow down pullet growth starting about 8 weeks so that they are healthier when they do start to lay. The Manna-Pro is 16% protein whereas the chick starter was 18%. The girls free range and eat lots of roly-poly bugs and crickets so they do get some supplemental food and I have a homemade scratch made up of wheat, oats and BOSS.

They seem happy and visit the feed dish in a casual manner and seem to be healthy. Am I starving or in some other way denying them proper nutrition? Should they be getting more protein?

Mary

 

[txchickie]

I've recently quit buying the seperate starter, layer, and game bird for my guineas. It was a pain with the different sacks and the free-rangers just ate out of whatever feeder they felt like anyway

I am just buying gamebird starter/grower and have done this for about a month. It's non-medicated, and I've got out oyster shells for my layers. No problems so far. I don't see any reason why they all can't eat it.

 

[threehorses]

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I used a good brand of gamebird starter/grower this year and really liked it! If you understand how to watch for coccidiosis, it can really be awesome. I'm about to switch back to it as I'm not really happy at ALL with MG feeds, and our local Purina dealer doesn't have a protein level of grower that I want to use.

There's also a feed like that called Flock Raiser. Only with layers you want to make sure there's at least a 6:1 cal/phos ration to start with. Then oyster shells on top. I hadn't checked the label yet.

I sure did love that game feed I used to start my babies though. And boy was it strongly fresh smelling!

 

[threehorses]

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If the majority of their feed is a good age appropriate complete feed, I'd think they're doing fine. They're healthy, yes? And honestly - that homemade scratch... I wish more people would do that. What, oats, and BOSS are way better choices than the milo based scratch that many use - you could actually use that as a part of their feed, not just a treat.

 

[Mahonri]

I still mix a little starter in with the layer feed every now and again.

 

[weaveagarden]

It's amazing that chickens managed to live before the pre-mixed stuff.

Seriously, if you are a backyard chicken raiser of laying hens. Is it really going to matter to you if your chickens lay one or two less eggs a year. Sounds like they are healthy and happy. That is more than half the battle. If they don't look like they are sickly, and you decide that the bugs and worms (100% protein) are supplementing enough other nutrients . If they each eat a few of those a day, that is likely enough to make up 2% protein difference between chick feed and regular chicken feed. They have got to be more healthy than those stuck in the commercial egg laying facilities.

I have also read that in Storey's guide. And it makes sense that you don't necessarily want a pullet to pack on muscle too fast. Better to let their muscles and bones develop naturally with a little bit of what has been their normal diet for 100's of years.

 

[weaveagarden]

OK. I tried to look it up with no luck..... What is Boss???

 

[threehorses]

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Blackoil sunflower seeds.