Starter Vs. Grower? Laying mash? Scratch?? CONFUSED ON WHAT TO FEED

[Mrs. Glassman]

Ok...I've read on here that you feed starter until a certain age, then swap to grower. I go to the feed store & tell them I would like to have "Grower" now, & not "Starter".

Do you have to ask for medicated starter, or is it all medicated? And what is it medicated for?

They say to me, that "Starter & Grower are the same thing" and they sell me a bag of starter.

Is there a difference?? Is it called by some other name??

Laying Mash:
Does it MAKE a hen lay? Like a hormone or something?
Or is it for ALREADY LAYING hens?? Like a suppliment to their diet?

And Scratch feed:
I've heard a few negative things about scratch, like it doesn't have enough nutrition. Is scratch "bad" altogether, or is it bad to feed chickens nothing but scratch?

Right now, I mix scratch & starter half/half. I throw in a little BOSS, & some oystershell to every batch I mix up.

 

[gritsar]

Okay, it gets confusing because different feeds are available in different locales.
In some places, seperate starter and grower are available. The starter can be medicated, the grower usually is not. If you can get them seperate then you feed starter for the first six to eight weeks, then switch to grower. You would then feed grower until 18 to 20 weeks, or until you get your first egg; whichever comes first.
If all that's available is a combo. starter/grower, then you feed that until the 18/20 week/first egg time.
Layer feed is fed to laying hens from the time they start laying or about to start laying. It has the right amounts of protein and calcium a hen needs to produce eggs.
Scratch is like chicken candy. It's not bad for them really, but you don't want them to fill up on that and ignore their layer feed.
I offer BOSS on the side, as a treat. Again, don't want them ignoring their feed, which is nutrionally complete.
If your chickens are not yet to laying age, they don't need oyster shell. OS is to supplement calcium for laying hens. Younger birds do need grit, which is not the same as OS. I don't offer grit because my birds free range and find all the grit they need.
Also, I avoid mixing any of the other feed options - BOSS, scratch, oyster shell - in with their feed. I feed it seperately, otherwise they tend to waste their layer feed billing it out looking for the goodies.

 

[toredano]

My chickens , that are now around 20 weeks ( and laying )or so get scratch everyday as a choice in a feeder.They also freerange all day .Plus Oystershell mixed in with their feed .Plus I have to sprinkle some game starter ( 28% ) for some other birds I have mixed in with them.They all eat each others food.. and do fine with it. And I dont buy layer feed either. I allready buy 3 different feeds for them ..On top they freerange and they are fine.

There has been a debate on scratch tho.Mine get em all day if they like. They dont eat much of it since they do freerange all day also.
Chickens have been gettting scratch for ages.. some as a sole feed. There is no harm in that.
Yours sound fine.

 

[Mrs. Glassman]

Thanks so much for the replies!
And Gritsar, That feed store don't always have the same things, would explain why I hear about grower, but am told there is no such thing here.

 

[elmo]

Layer feed is a feed for hens that have finished growing and begun to lay eggs, so it is formulated with lower protein (as compared to the grower feed) and contains calcium supplements for eggshell production. It doesn't have any hormones in it (or it shouldn't, anyway!)

You didn't mention how old your chickens were, but many people don't feed scratch to their chickens until they're fully grown. The idea is that since scratch is lower protein than grower feed, feeding scratch reduces the amount of protein in the chick's diet, and higher protein is what they need for growth and feather production at this stage of their development.

I'll have to let someone else address your question about medicated feed, because I don't use that.

 

[jenjscott]

Medicated feed has amprollium in it which controls coccidiosis. It is not an antibiotic, it is a niacin blocker, which the cocci needs to survive. It reduces the chicks exposure to it, which allows the chick to develop resistance to it slowly. It doesn't prevent all infections, but does help reduce losses.

 

[tiffster011]

Quote:
Thank YOU!!! At last it has been cleared up. I was trying to find the answers to these questions for ages!!!

 

[gritsar]

Quote:
Thank YOU!!! At last it has been cleared up. I was trying to find the answers to these questions for ages!!!

You're welcome. Welcome to BYC!