new 4 wk old cks: Do I feed grower w/ scratch or grit? or both?

[jardineirafiel]

Hello all,

I'm new to the forum and to raising chicks. Our two Orpington 4 wk old chicks were on grower plus scratch at the feed store. But the employee said they only need grower now. She mentioned if they were foraging outside they wouldn't need grit, but they wont be outside here until the end of May when our coop is finished and it's warmer. I really don't want them to get pasty butt or get sick. So.....do I feed grower with scratch like they were getting in the store? Maybe scratch is a form of grit-- I have no idea!!

If they indeed do require grit, do I have to buy it or can I use crushed eggshells? In proportion to their grower feed, what proportion should I use?

Secondly the grower is not medicated, should I be feeding a medicated grower or medicate their water?
Any help with info is much appreciated!

 

[Arielle]

Welcome! I'm 6 months into having chickens and spend far too much time haunting BYC . Here's what I have learned so far.

I'm new to the forum and to raising chicks. Our two Orpington 4 wk old chicks were on grower plus scratch at the feed store. But the employee said they only need grower now. She mentioned if they were foraging outside they wouldn't need grit, but they wont be outside here until the end of May when our coop is finished and it's warmer. I really don't want them to get pasty butt or get sick. So.....do I feed grower with scratch like they were getting in the store? Maybe scratch is a form of grit-- I have no idea!! starter or grower is fine. scratch is just a treat. BUt the chicks should be getting grit if getting scratch to enable grinding of the cracked grain. Scratch is usually whole corn broken into pieces.It can also contain other grains as well.

If they indeed do require grit, do I have to buy it or can I use crushed eggshells? In proportion to their grower feed, what proportion should I use? Egg shells are a calcium supplement only and is fed to hens once at laying age but not before; often is is free choice in a separate container to pick at at will. GRIT is a small rock, swalloed and held in the gizzard to GRIND seeds and fruit and vegies and grasses. Grit is also fed free choice; either purchased or they can get it when free ranging

Secondly the grower is not medicated, should I be feeding a medicated grower or medicate their water?Medicated grower is fed when the birds have not been vaccinated for coccidia (and most are not vaccinated); meds in water is for when a specific treatment is needed for a specific disease. The medicated feed helps keep the cocci from over burdening the birds while the immune system develops it's immunity via exposure to the outside dirt where cocci live.

Any help with info is much appreciated!

I expect others will chime in with more info to help you. GL​

 

[MyKidLuvsGreenEgz]

Arielle did good!

My two cents:

Ridiculous that the feed store gave scratch to newly-hatched chicks.

Crushed eggs shells is good for calcium, but don't give it to them until they get to laying age (too much calcium messed with the growth thing). Has nothing to do with grit functions.

Grit = small pebbles, sand, purchased chick grit, etc. We have really sandy soil so once my chicks go outside, we never offer grit again. If you have decent or clay soil, you'll need to offer grit. Might be a good idea to offer a "plastic kiddie swimming pool" with sand for their dustbaths too.

BUT ... At that age, really just chick starter feed is all you need. When they are a little older, you can add a bit of grit then scratch but I usually wait until they are about 2-3 months old before doing that.

I do medicated chick feed for the first few weeks of their life, or if they are in a coop that gets a little wet (rain, spilt water dishes, etc.).

Hope that helps.

 

[deerman]

yes only chick starter, then grower , scratch just cheap feed , ok for freerange grown chickens, never for young chicks, agree crazy for a feed store to be feeding scratch to chicks.

 

[elmo]

Chicken feed is a processed formulated food for chickens. It comes in pellets or crumbles, and in different formulations for different ages. Different feed manufacturers have different recipes and feeding suggestions, so check the label on yours. For the manufacturer we use, they only make two kinds: grower (for chickens prior to laying age) and layer (for chickens who are laying age). The grower feed is higher in protein and has no added calcium; the layer is lower in protein and has calcium for production of egg shells.

Chicken scratch is just whole grains such as corn, wheat and oats. The protein level of scratch is much lower than layer feed. Scratch is fed as a treat. If you feed too much scratch you reduce the overall percentage of protein in the flock's diet.

Chickens have no teeth, so in order to grind up fibrous foods they use grit held in their gizzard, their second, muscular stomach. The best grit is granite chips because of its rough, irregular edges.

Oyster shell is a calcium supplement often confused by with grit, but it performs a completely different function. It supplements the calcium in the layer feed for hens who need it.

I offer grit and oyster shell in separate dishes free choice to our flock. That way I can see what they're consuming and know when I need to add more.

 

[BWKatz]

Once my chicks started laying I saved their shells and grond them in an old coffee grinder to use as their calcium supplement. Easy and free.

 

[chicmom]

Hello, for your young chicks, the grower feed is all they will need. If you're keeping them inside in a brooder, they won't need any chick grit either, unless you would introduce some other foods.

 

[Sassafras]

Shouldn't they be on starter, not grower?

 

[jardineirafiel]

WOW THANK YOU EVERYONE FOR ALL THE HELP!!! They are doing great on grower, bigger by the day!!

will double check to see if this grower is medicated at feed store...
What week do I start to give other scraps and veggies then? from elmo's and Arielle's post( many tks) I need to provide grit when I do that, but dont know at what age chicks can handle scraps (??)

Thanks again to all!!....and may all your quiche teams be A+