How much starter feed?

[Evergreen160]

Anyone have an idea how much starter feed I will need for 6 chicks? Thanks!

 

[Fred's Hens]

Because you can feed the Starter all the way to maturity, I see no reason to buy a small bag. A 40 or 50 pound bag is always more economical.

 

[bj taylor]

by starter, do you mean chick starter? i know that must be pretty obvious, but i don't want to mistake.

 

[AlienChick]

I agree.

Since they'll be eating it till they're laying, buy the 50lb bag!

 

[[email protected]]

i started with a 5lb medicated chick starter bag just in case mine didn't hatch. I am getting a 25lb bag next time because i think those come in a resealable bag. i have 5 chicks that are a week and 1/2 old

 

[wildriverswolf90]

A 50lbs bag of chick starter lasted me 5 weeks with 8 chicks!

 

[OkChickens]

I hatch and grow out quite a few chicks a year. I would recommend you to get a 50lb bag of 18-21% Protein Chick Starter. It will seem like a lot but every day they grow and they will eat more and more everyday until they are full size. A 50lb bag can last a long time depending on the breed or breeds you will have. I currently have about 50 1-2 week old LF birds and 11 LF Birds that are about 10 weeks old and they have gone through about 4 50 lb bags of chick starter in the past 3 weeks. The 11 10 week olds eat more than the 50 1-2 week old chicks. What breeds will you have?

Nate

 

[Don P]

It really is better to switch the young chickens over to a 20% Grower/Developer/Broiler feed after the 1st 4-6 weeks on Starter feed.

It also depends if you choose to use a medicated starter (which I never would), but for those who do you do not want to keep them on that after 4-6 weeks. Switch to grower

You want to let them eat all they want but usually depending on the feed quality, 6 chicks will eat 20 # in 2 weeks but it depends on food quality and feed type and spillage. Be sure to give chick grit if not in the feed.

From a couple hatcheries:

A question we commonly get is how long to feed baby chicks "starter feed" for before switching to a feed called "grower" or "chick grower". The answer is: it all depends! Each manufacturer formulates their feed differently, so read the label and follow their instructions. Some only recommend the starter for 4 weeks before moving onto grower;

Baby chicks need to eat chick starter mash or crumbles, a blend specially formulated for their growth and development. Layer mash, crumbles, or pellets should never be fed to chicks, not even as an emergency ration. It has a high calcium content that is toxic to chicks and will cause bone, liver, and kidney problems or cause death. A good emergency ration is a 50-50 blend of rolled oats and cornmeal, whirled in a food blender to a mash or crumble consistency. They should not be on this emergency ration for more than a day or so, as it does not constitute a balanced diet. Starter feeds should contain no greater than 21% protein for dual-purpose or egg-type chickens – too much protein causes growth problems.