Mixed age Brooder & feeding.

[Kholts]

Alright so I have 5 chicks in my brooder. 2 are about 4 weeks, the other 3 are id say around 2 weeks.

My question is. How do I switch to grower feed when the time comes? Am I going to have to separate? Or could I do a mix of grower & starter without causing long term problems.

Edit to add: they are Brahmas

 

[cinnamoncockatiel]

You can feed chick starter until POL if you want. I prefer doing that.

 

[NatJ]

What is the difference between the starter and the grower that you are able to buy?

Starter is usually fine for all ages--including laying hens, if you put out a separate dish of oyster shell for calcium when they start to lay.

 

[EverV]

You can feed chick starter until POL if you want. I prefer doing that.

What is the difference between the starter and the grower that you are able to buy?

Starter is usually fine for all ages--including laying hens, if you put out a separate dish of oyster shell for calcium when they start to lay.

X2

 

[Kholts]

They are Brahmas. I edited my original post.

Being that they are a Large breed will they still be ok just staying on starter?

 

[Kholts]

What is the difference between the starter and the grower that you are able to buy?

Starter is usually fine for all ages--including laying hens, if you put out a separate dish of oyster shell for calcium when they start to lay.

The differences in starter & grower I can provide are the same other than the following components.

Starter:
21% Crude Protein
1.1% Lysine
6.0% Crude Fibre

Grower:
16% crude protein
0.7% lysine
5.0% crude fibre

 

[NatJ]

The starter should be fine for your Brahmas

 

[Kholts]

Ok that’s great to know! It’s nice knowing I’m actually going to be able to use a whole bag of starter for only 5 chicks.

I mean I would have just snuck some extra in with the ducks feed (it’s unmedicated) to give them a protein boost just to use it up but this is nice too.

 

[cinnamoncockatiel]

Sounds good!

 

[Ridgerunner]

How do I switch to grower feed when the time comes? Am I going to have to separate? Or could I do a mix of grower & starter without causing long term problems.

There is no set way that you have to feed them to prevent civilization as we know it from being forever altered. We all do it different ways. The chickens do fine unless you get really weird. I know you want to do the "best" for your chicks but to me it's not that big of a deal.

Some people feed the same feed, usually a relatively high protein chick starter or something called flock raiser or some other name, from the first day until they die of old age. They offer a calcium supplement like oyster shell on the side once they start laying. Others switch feed around at different ages or stages. If you read enough posts on here you can get really confused.

One typical feeding method is to start them out with a high protein Starter for the first 4 to 8 weeks, then switch to a lower protein Grower like you show. You start them off with a higher protein feed for the first weeks to get them off to a good start, which basically means until they feather out. On a high protein feed most will be fully feathered at four weeks. Then they switch to a lower protein Grower to slow body growth a bit as they don't need to pack on weight that fast. It won't hurt them but they don't need to.

I feed Starter until the bag runs out, whether that is four weeks or a long time after. When I switch I just switch, that's never been a problem. Some people like to mix Starter and Grower for a while as they change over. If you want to do that it won't hurt. You are not going to cause long term harmful effects either way.

Some people can have pretty strong op[inions on how to feed them. I've watched too many broody hens raise their chicks to get that worried about it.

Of course there are exceptions to this, there always are. If you are raising them for show they need a special diet. If you are raising them for meat a special diet can help there. But if you are raising a small backyard flock to lay eggs or be pets it's not that important.