Hi,
I, also, have Silkie's. They eat a fraction of what the big breeds do. 30 lbs should be more than enough to take them through to the next stage (depending on when you move them over). I get the medicated starter now and then will be switching them over to organic. Be sure to get the chick grit for them.
As for when you move them to Grower, that is kind of personal preferance. Some move them to Grower at 8 weeks of age. Some stay on Starter until they move them to Layena (when they start laying).
Silkies are a slow maturing breed and will not have the serious growth of the bigger birds (which need more fuel to keep that growth up).
Sheila
Umm, Chick starter? Why that as opposed to broiler? I have a Silkie and I wouldn't know how much it eats cause there is a Cornish X living with it.
The medicated is to ward off Cocci. Something that chickens, dog & cats can get. It is everywhere in the US and just gives the babies some Amprollium. Different brands, of Starter, recommend different time frames, of how long to use their Starter. The bag you buy will tell you how long it is recommended for their brand. I am feeding Purina and it says to feed it, for small and exotic breeds, until 18 weeks and then switch to Layena.
My guys are eating very well and I have zero waste and I am not using anywhere near the amount of feed listed by others. It appears that the amount of food eaten is varied.
Will you be giving your chicks (when they are a bit older) free range time? If so, that will reduce the amount of feed that they will be needing. And here again, opinions differ. Some will not give free range as they want them to only feed the Starter until they are old enough to be off of it. Some feel that free range makes their chicks stronger. Some give a dandilion (with roots and some dirt) in their brooder as it exposes the chicks to small levels of the bacteria in their soil and gives the chicks something to scratch at.
I know that it is confusing, believe me, I've been there. I talk to one lady (who show's her Bantam's) and she feeds 30% protein. That amount would be too "hot" for other regions (like AZ or CA, etc). I talked to another lady and she only feeds organic and has never had a case of Cocci. I talked to someone else and they only feed Starter for eight weeks them moved them. Some feel that Growth is not good for Silkies as they mature at a slower rate than the standard birds do. These are all people who have been raising Silkies a long time and each one does something different for their birds and all the birds are healthy and really beautiful.
It is the same in the show dog world (I show dogs). What I feed and how I raise my puppies is different from other show breeders (just as each one of theirs is different too). I base mine in 33 years of showing dogs and trial and error over the years. I have found that it is exactly the same in raising chicks. You will get a number of different ways that people raise and keep their chickens. Read as much as you can and try things out. If that way doesn't work for you and your chickens, try another person's way. Keep doing that until you find the way (or combination of a number of them) that works for you and your flock.
The 'basics', however, will hold true. They need to start with 95 degree heat and then that lessens by 5 degrees for every week until it matches the outside temp. They need to be in a dry, draft free, place. They need food and water. They need to be secured from preditors (mine are raised inside). Everything, outside of that, will differ- somewhat- for each person.
I hope that some of this will help you
Sheila
, And I Bought "Purina Start & Growth" I Believe It's the Same One That You Have. Also Yes They Will Be Free Ranged.
