newbie-are Silkies ready to switch chick-feed

[fluffychicksmomma]

Our Silkies are 6 weeks old. I had planned on keeping them on their chick starter until they were 8 weeks. But when I went to the feed store last night, they are all through selling the 5 lb bags and are now only selling 50 lb bags. I am not sure how long it will take my chicks to go through 50 lbs of feed (we have 9 chicks), but I imagine it will probably take another month at least, that will put them at 10 weeks. And hopefully they willl be OUT of my house and into a hutch SOON.(I don't care how clean you keep them, chickens stink when confined to a small indoor area!) We take 'em out for field trips during the days when it is warm enough and not snowing and raining which it is STILL doing here! Anyway, the guy at the feed store said if I keep the chicks on starter feed for too long, they will get too fat because of the high potein, fat, calories, whatever in chick starter. But I really have no idea if he knows what he is talking about or not. I have already been giving our chicks some parakeet grit occasionally when they get other stuff, (like eggs or grass), other than that they have just been on straight crunmbles. AND, the other part of the question is, if I start them on a more adult feed, the feed store has 3 choices and I do not know the difference between them. They have Layer Pellets, just plain Layer feed and something called Scratch Grains which is the only feed I was able to look at, and it just looks like chopped up corn and other grains. So, can I keep them on chick starter for another 4-5 weeks, or should I switch them, and to what type of feed is best? Thanks in advance for the help!

 

[speckledhen]

Feed store guy was wrong. (yeah, big surprise

) They can stay on chick starter until laying age. I always do that. Too early for layer, too much calcium and not enough protein. Trust me, he's completely off-base.

Don't feed scratch grains to babies. A sprinkle here and there, accompanied by the sound of the shaking can will teach them to come to that sound, but don't just feed them scratch--it's not high enough in protein and vitamins for their proper development, really.

There are many ways to feed chickens and they usually survive them all, but for optimum health and growth, they need feed made for their age group.

 

[suebee]

I keep mine on chick starter up to laying their first eggs, usually around 20-24 weeks (5-6 months old). You can get "grower and finisher" feed when they reach 12 weeks, but I don't. Scratch is a treat. Get some and they will love it. Use in moderation, a little bit a day.
You can probably boot them out of the house now, as long as it's warm. Do you have a secure coop? By the way, what is a "hutch?"

 

[fluffychicksmomma]

Thanks you guys! I pretty much suspected the guy didn't know what he was talking about, my daughter and I looked at each other and said lets consult the REAL experts at BYC, LOL!

 

[fluffychicksmomma]

Sorry, around here, they often refer to the coop as a chicken hutch, which, is not correct, becausee a hutch is really a place or a rabbit, and I have seen people keep a couple of chicks in a large hutch (we are talking backyard urban chicken keepers), but yes a hutch and a coop are actually 2 different things of course, just the lingo around here.(Our lingo is pretty weird sometimes), I sometimes get caught up in it w/o meaning to, LOL!

 

[suebee]

Read my post above about laying. Also, silkie eggs are not the size of marbles, they are just a little smaller than a regular egg. They normally lay an egg every day or two, unless they're broody or moulting. You'll notice the excessive broodiness right around 6 months.

 

[suebee]

Quote:
Where are you from?

 

[fluffychicksmomma]

Sorry, I went out to let the horses out! I live in Utah, grew up in the midwest, thought there were some weird-ass names for things out here, lol, but they thought my words were weirder. After 20-some years, I am adopting their weird lingo!

 

[suebee]

Oh I would love to live in Utah, we passed through there moving from Mich. to Calif. in the early 80's. It was boiling hot there! What are your average temps...especially in the summer? I pm'd you.

 

[fluffychicksmomma]

Got it, pm'd you back! : ) I love living here, average temps range from 50's to 60's in the spring, clear up to the 90's and even a few days of triple digits in the hottest part of the summer. We usually have an Indian summer with enjoyable out -door temps though October and often most of November. In the summer, the nights are alwys comfortable, usually cool, and not very many bugs! I think the bugs like more humid climates!