How long can i use medicated chick starter

[LerkerNoMore]

Hi i'm getting some baby chicks in April and my local Agway said for me to keep them on medicated chick starter for 8 weeks then give them the laying feed. Is this correct or should I do it differently. Thanks in advance

 

[Duckopolis]

What I do is just buy on 50 lb bag for my small flock of chicks and switch them to layer feed whenever it runs out. You should give it to them for about at least 6 weeks though.

 

[Egghead_Jr]

Medicated is for 8 weeks or until the bag runs out. After that you can use unmedicated starter grower feed for the life of the birds. When your girls start to lay (around 24 weeks) you can put them on layer feed or continue with grower and supplement oyster shells in a side dish for the added calcium.

The only difference to a grower and layer feed is the calcium content. By providing oyster shells in side dish they eat what they need. I personally don't even use medicated starter. Simply start out with starter grower and supplement the oyster shells so the layers get the calcium. Summers here we have all stages of growth going on and it's easy to keep one type of feed. By the time my youngest birds are big enough for pellet feed I switch them all over to a game bird finisher which comes in pellets and continue with the oyster shell on the side. I have far less waste with pellets than crumbles.

 

[Fred's Hens]

Another case of a feed store employee "making it up as he goes along". Just wrong.

Every feed company publishes a Feed Chart. They don't vary much. Basically you feed Starter all the way until the first egg is seen.

Or, feed Starter through 8-10 weeks of age, switch to Grower feed, and then when the first egg shows up, switch to Layer or provide a calcium source on the side.

Never feed a non laying bird Layer feed. It is laced with Calcium that non layers cannot use and has been shown to be damaging to the renal systems of chicks feed out Layer inappropriately.


While I don't use Purina's feeds, here's their chart, by way of example.

 

[CraftyChicky]

I always wonder about he not giving calcium before laying age. What in the world do you do when introducing new chicks to the flock? Or when there is a broody hen with her chicks? No way in those situations to keep the babies eating just starter. I do keep my chicks separate in the brooder until about oh, 8-10 weeks. After that into the flock they go. What are your thoughts about this?

 

[Fred's Hens]

I always wonder about he not giving calcium before laying age. What in the world do you do when introducing new chicks to the flock? Or when there is a broody hen with her chicks? No way in those situations to keep the babies eating just starter. I do keep my chicks separate in the brooder until about oh, 8-10 weeks. After that into the flock they go. What are your thoughts about this?

Easy as pie. Feed everyone Grower or Raiser or All Flock, etc. These are feeds everyone can eat. Just put some calcium source, such as shells, in a side bowl and only the hens will normally pick at because only their bodies are craving the calcium.

 

[LerkerNoMore]

Well thank all of you for answering my question and I believe that what I get from this is feed starter for 8 weeks then feed grower until the first egg. Then switch to laying feed when you see that egg.