medicated chick feed when to stop? different ages

[maf2008]

I have chicks/chickens all ages from 10 weeks to "eggs in the bator" (I am counting my chickens before they hatch!)

I have fed mostly chick starter and clovers/grass only and just started giving a treat bucket of mixed grains too.

I was told use chick starter up to age 18 weeks and then change to layer...... Does anyone feed just scratch? Will some of them die without the medicated feed?

Also, someone mentioned "hog feed" is cheaper than chicken feed and the same thing. Is this true ?????

All advice for "cheep cheep" nutrecious (sp) is appreciated!

 

[Judy]

After they hatch, they move around too fast to count them!!!

If your starter is not also marked grower, the feed store may sell a separate grower, which you can feed from about 12 weeks til laying. I can only get a single formula, "starter/grower," locally, and I cannot buy all the components of it locally.

Scratch is a treat, not complete nutrition; too little protein, for one thing. Don't know a thing about hog feed but I'd sure research that before I used it. You can find formulas on here or online for mixing your own chicken feed, although you may not be able to find all the components. They really need to eat starter or grower for at least 90% of their diet.

Medicated feed helps young chicks develop immunity to cocci, and cocci can be fatal. Much cheaper to feed medicated than treat cocci. On the other hand, it is quite possible you will not lose any to it if you stop medicated feed now; no way to predict this that I know of.

I have a neighbor who sells straight cracked corn as "chicken feed." Her chickens free range. Just goes to show that what people say ain't always so.

Good luck!