Ok, what do I feed these guys?

[Sweetpea3829]

First of all, I'm sure this question has been asked ad nauseum. But I don't have a ton of time to go digging right now.

Our chicks are set to hatch on Wednesday. My husband bought a 25 lb bag of Pen Pals chick feed. The guy at the feed store said that it can be fed to them straight through adult-hood. That's really all we have to feed these babies when they hatch.

1) This bag of food was expensive...nearly $30. I imagine there's a cheaper alternative?

2) I checked on Amazon just to see and sure enough, there are foods that are less expensive. But which to buy? And I'd prefer to buy it from a local store. Does Tractor Supply usually sell chicken feed?

3) Is this food enough? Should I be feeding them something else?

 

[Fred's Hens]

Yes, it is all they need. Chick Starter/Grower is a complete diet and would keep chicks alive and healthy right through adulthood if that is all they were ever fed.

Most folks, however, enjoy supplementing this boring regime, once the chicks are old enough, with outdoor life where they can eat grass, gobble up bugs and worms or at least enjoy some table scraps.

Yes, TSC always has chicken feed.

 

[Fred's Hens]

Rather than thrashing through a couple of zillion posts here looking for insights into issues that will arise, why not take advantage our BYC's Learning Center. There is a tab to the Learning Center above. There will find short, insightful articles and information covering an entire array of topics.

 

[ukuleledave]

http://www.tractorsupply.com/en/store/dumorreg;-chick-starter-24%-50-lb

That stuff runs $18.00 at Tractor Supply for a 50 pound bag. At $0.36 a pound, it's a pretty good deal.

After a few weeks you can try chopped cabbage or other green leafy veggies. There is a sticky somewhere here about "snacks" that are good.