Is grower feed the same as chick starter? And other newbie questions.

[Chickenaddict]

Here's the way I do it here and I have never had a problem with the birds.

Chick starter (non medicated) for the first 8-10 weeks I give them scratch grains as treats and provide grit only after they are at least 4 weeks old even then I have been known to chop it up in the food processor first to make the pieces smaller for the chicks to handle.

Flock raiser until they are laying and then layer crumble after that.

You can give the chickens treats any way you'd ;like whether it be in a dish, your hand, the ground or what have you, they will gobble it all down where ever it is

 

[woodmort]

Ridgerunner--excellent advice since it sounds about what I do

--excepting the scratch but it gets colder here. One thing I will add is that most of the "when to feed" schedules are predicated on single breed, same age, commercial flocks and most BYC people don't have these so adjustments have to be made as to when to change and feed certain products--don't necessarily go by what is written on the bag or the guy at the feed store tells you.

 

[Ridgerunner]

Quote:
I like your criteria for what is good advice,

Of course, I pretty much feel the same way about other people's advice.

A comment on scratch in the winter. I kinda think (not 100% sure, just my opinion) that chickens tend to eat for caloric intake more than for specific protein needs. I don't think it is really this simple, but just a general thought. That would mean in the summer they eat less since they don't need the calories to keep warm. In the winter, they tend to eat more since they need the calories to keep warm. They are usually laying in the summer so they need a higher protein content in their feed to replace the 2% to 3% body weight that they lose every time they lay an egg. Most are usually not laying in the winter due to the molt, though some of mine do lay some and I usually have pullets that lay all winter. That gets back to your same age comment. Feeding scratch in the winter will reduce the total protein they eat at a time they really don't need a whole lot of protein (though they need enough to replace feathers due to the molt) and more importantly to me, it reduces the total calcium intake from layer when they don't need the calcium. I think the real benefit of feeding scratch in the winter is not so much that the extra energy keeps them warmer since they will just eat more of other food to get enough calories, but it reduces the total protein and calcium they eat and don't really need so their liver and kidneys don't have to work so hard to clean the excess out of their system. I know I am overthinking it and I am very aware that the total amounts and limits of protein, calcium, and calories are not that tight, but Ill just throw this out to add to the confusion. I tend to think the 16% layer is a pretty good compromise year around, but if I did not have any chickens laying in the winter, I'd probably just feed 15% protein developer without the higher calcium content if I could find it. In the early part of the winter I tend to feed 16% grower with oyster shell on the side anyway since I usually have some young chicks in the flock.

 

[Maxie1101]

Ridgerunner - Thanks so much for your post! You explained everything so well. I definitely feel like I have a good grasp on feeding my flock now.

So today I gave them some chick scratch on a plastic food container lid in the run. Wouldn't you know, they spilled it all on the sand in no time, and they didn't even eat any. So then I got bold and cut up a strawberry and just put it on the sand in the run. Well they wouldn't eat that either. I guess it will take them a little time to understand that treats are yummy. One of them did catch a flying insect and eat it...go figure.