Starter/Grower - Medicated / Non-Medicated

[Ladysonja]

I feel like such a dunce and should be sitting the corner with my dunce cap on, but I have to get my head around this feed thing.

From what I can gather and have taken notes on:

1 day to 4 weeks - Starter (Electrolites in water)

4 weeks until laying age - Starter/Grower Medicated (question 1)

18+ weeks Layer for eggs

Question: 1
When do you switch from Medicated Stater/Grower to Non-Medicated Starter/Grower? (my 11 wk olds are currenlty on medicated starter grower)

Should they stay on the medicated until egg laying age or should I switch them to a non-medicated starter/grower?

Question: 2
What age do you take chicks of the plain starter and move them to a medicated starter/grower and when to move them to a non-mecicated starter/grower.

Plain starter and Plain grower is hard to find in my area. The one store I found is either out of one or the other, but all others offer Medicated and Non-Medicated starter/grower.

Maybe I am trying to make too much of a science out of this, but we have the 11 wk olds and now have a brooder of 1-3 day olds.

Question: 3
When everyone moves out into the run, the majority of the birds will be hens with 1-3 roosters.

I was planing to feed a "Flock Feed" and offer Oyster Shells. Will this combo be enough or will a combo of Layer, Flock Feed and Oyster Shells be a better combo for the roos and hens?

I have no problem purchasing the feed I need to get my flock going. I just need to get my head wrapped around this feed thing...

Thanks for your support and comments.

 

[Akane]

You can feed medicated feed from day 1 so you don't have to switch them around to different feeds so much. 6-8weeks seem to be the most suggested for switching to grower so that's when I'd switch to nonmedicated chick starter if you can't get a grower feed.

If you don't have young non laying birds out there feed layer. If you have a mix of ages with birds that aren't yet laying you can feed flock raiser. Most people don't make exceptions for roos. They just eat the same thing as the hens they are with.

 

[speckledhen]

They do not need electrolytes and you dont keep them on those for 4 weeks. Those are to be used perhaps during extremely hot weather when they are losing moisture from their bodies and under heat stress.
You can leave them on medicated feed till they lay or switch them off it at some point after they've had immunity to cocci built up. I can't get grower by itself in my area, just starter/grower combo. They can stay on that till you see an egg; it's formulated for that.
At laying age you can do layer or flock feed with oyster shell and feed crushed dry egg shells back to them as well. Or just layer. Or just flockraiser/general poultry feed. If you have a mixed group of ages, the general feed is good, like Purina FlockRaiser or another brand or that type feed.