starter feed ok for 2mo old pullets? kitty litter for grit?

[Goblin Cock]

hey y'all! when i got my chicks, i also bought a 20lb bag of starter feed (which is still almost half full!). Is it wrong to feed the now 2month old pullets this feed instead of grower feed? Also wondering if kitty litter would be ok to use for grit? i try to free range them as much as possible during the day, just not sure if that covers the grit?

 

[Birdielee]

There are lots of kinds of kitty litter. Some are clay based and some are even wheat based. I don't know if some kinds might work, but wheat definitely wouldn't work as grit.

 

[microchick]

I usually usually start mine on game starter. If they are getting a bit older and I have some feed left over I generally give it to them until I run out and then switch them over to layer pellets or game bird finisher with oyster shell on the side when they get to point of lay.

As for the kitty litter I'd say no. Clumping litter does just that and regular just turns to mush when it is wet. If your birds are free ranging they are probably picking up enough pebbles to keep their digestion working properly. I only provide grit when my birds are penned up in the coop. If they are in the run, they can forage for their own grit.

 

[Onyxflock]

hey y'all! when i got my chicks, i also bought a 20lb bag of starter feed (which is still almost half full!). Is it wrong to feed the now 2month old pullets this feed instead of grower feed? Also wondering if kitty litter would be ok to use for grit? i try to free range them as much as possible during the day, just not sure if that covers the grit?

No kitty litter. Nada. It often has odor control and clumping chemicals, your chicks don't need.
Chickens and birds swallow grit or small dirt particles, that stay in the crop, that then helps them digest their food. Commercial grit is engineered to be healthy, using products scientists have developed.
However, you really don't need anythinthe special, just clean dirt or sand on the floor of their pen for them to peck at. They scratch the ground and will consume both foid and grains of dirt the size they can accommodate. When they start to lay, then you can give the Oyster shell - which contains calcium for strong eggs and has a grit quality.

 

[Onyxflock]

Starter feed - mix it with the layer feed when you first start them on Layer feed. Maybe 2 starter to 1 layer at first, then can just pour the last of the bag into the new bag. That helps smooth the transition and new taste. This advice came from this very forum.... Thanks Everyone!

 

[GC-Raptor]

starter feed (which is still almost half full!). Is it wrong to feed the now 2month old pullets this feed instead of grower feed?

18 to 20% Protein is fine. I feed a Starter Grower 18% to my hens 21 months old with Oyster Shells separately.

if kitty litter would be ok to use for grit?

No!
Grit should be insoluble.
Oyster Shell is soluble and will dissolve in acids in the crop and gizzard. GC

 

[cmom]

I have fed my chicks a starter/grower feed which is good until they start to lay then I switched over to layer feed. I feed differently than most people because I hatch and raise my own birds and I show them at poultry shows, so depending on the season and their stages of growth I change their feed but I still use the same brand just different formulas. I feed a breeder feed during the breeding season to my breeding birds, starter/grower for the chicks, a grower feed while they are growing and a layer during the hotter months in the summer to the adult birds. Every now and then I mix some granite grit in their feeders and some oyster shells. When I start giving the chicks grains and seeds as treats, I put some chicks grit in their feeders. The birds will take what they want. I used to put it in side dishes and eventually it would end up on the ground or floors of their coops so I started putting it in their feed now and then. It works its way to the bottom of the feeders and when I notice it's almost gone, I add more to their feed. I get the chick grit at Tractor Supply Co. I'm sure many won't agree to this method but it works for me.

 

[Dephora]

I have fed my chicks a starter/grower feed which is good until they start to lay then I switched over to layer feed. I feed differently than most people because I hatch and raise my own birds and I show them at poultry shows, so depending on the season and their stages of growth I change their feed but I still use the same brand just different formulas. I feed a breeder feed during the breeding season to my breeding birds, starter/grower for the chicks, a grower feed while they are growing and a layer during the hotter months in the summer to the adult birds. Every now and then I mix some granite grit in their feeders and some oyster shells. When I start giving the chicks grains and seeds as treats, I put some chicks grit in their feeders. The birds will take what they want. I used to put it in side dishes and eventually it would end up on the ground or floors of their coops so I started putting it in their feed now and then. It works its way to the bottom of the feeders and when I notice it's almost gone, I add more to their feed. I get the chick grit at Tractor Supply Co. I'm sure many won't agree to this method but it works for me.

I agree, I was offering the grit and they just never took any unless I put it right in front of them in the bottom of the feeder.

 

[Jan Croot]

NO KITTY LITTER.

it included a clumping agent, deoderizers and anti dust agents.