pullets

[chittyn]

i have 4 rir 13 week old chicks i have been feeding them grower but i have run out so have started to feed them on corn and pellets is that ok ?

 

[Toshi]

The grower food has what they need a lot of protien so they can grow, maybe you should go get another bag, i done that with my second bunch when i ran out i moved them to pellets and they grew so slow after that and stayed kind of small i was worry about them, but they finally got bigger.

 

[ChickenCanoe]

Quote:
Agreed.
You can feed grower to layers but not vice versa.
Corn will definitely further cut the protein intake.

 

[ChickenCanoe]

ETA: double post glitch

 

[chittyn]

so feeding them layer pellets now wont do that much harm ???

 

[ChickenCanoe]

We're saying it will do harm. Excessive calcium can cause kidney damage and kill.

Growing birds should get 1% Calcium, Layers 4%.

 

[chittyn]

oo what about corn ?? actually they are 14 weeks old ...............

 

[Fred's Hens]

They need feed. Corn is just one incomplete grain product. Feed Starter, Grower, or Raiser.

 

[Bantam Username]

Corn is ok but not complete, if they are on corn, they must have plenty of greens, a vitamin supplement that has low calcium and some source of protein like boiled/scrambled eggs or I used to give my old lot a forkfull of catfood between two birds daily.
Also they'll need grit.
My 2 old girls died of old age rather than disease or anything so they can't have suffered too bad a diet from that!
They went on corn from around 12 weeks old, had the daily portion of cat food, cage bird vitamin powder and a cabbage a week, also had grit available to them always.
I didn't know much about chickens, and I didn't have access to the internet or a library, I basically learned as I went. They did fine.

 

[Toshi]

The easy way to go would just to get some more chick starter or some flock raiser, and you would also know that they would be harmed with that feed.