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I'm glad yours are doing well on the Show Flock starter! I didn't begin with that because I have never started chicks on a feed without animal protein; I firmly believe that chicks need animal protein for their best start in life, though I know the Show Flock line is a good feed, just missing that one component I have always insisted upon. Their Show Flock Layer in that line was originally the Super Layer 22% that I fed my chickens for many years until they quietly removed the porcine protein from it and made it vegetarian. Soon none of us may have a choice to feed animal-based commercial feeds, which is a tragedy.Eye-popping for sure! What are you feeding at this point? Mine are on their 2nd bag of Tucker's Show Flock Starter and they are huge compared to last years chicks but sassy! I keep wondering if that's because of all the rain? I can't get them outside like I'm used to doing--everything is under water here like I've never seen before.
Rusty
This may get confusing so bear with me. I started these chicks with a mix of Meat Bird starter 24% protein because the game bird starter only came in 50# bags at both the co-op and Tractor Supply. I wanted to use the GMO-free starter as I did with the bantam Cochin chicks, but the protein level is not optimal for this type of chick (exhibition type with accompanying larger size/frame).
The meat bird starter was mixed 50/50 with Tucker Milling GMO-Free corn-free soy-free starter grower 18% protein because both of those still contain animal (porcine) protein to get the average protein level I wanted for them; 18% protein is too low and I wasn't that sure about feeding meat bird starter at first because I never had done that, but when the 10 lb bag of meat bird starter ran out, I added Game Bird Starter 28% to Tucker Milling GMO-Free chick starter 18%, averaging a 23% protein mix. Game Bird starter also contains animal protein, but alone, the protein level is too high for chicken chicks. Then we got a bag of Show Flock Developer 20% protein (no animal protein, sad unfortunately, but otherwise seems good) so at the moment they have transitioned to a mix of Game Bird and Show Flock developer. When that is gone, they'll get the Show Flock Developer as their sole feed because it still has a good protein level, albeit vegetarian, and they'll be having short periods to get out in the grass and free range under supervision, so will get their own animal protein in the form of bugs and whatever else they can catch plus green forage. The Tucker Milling Layer feed has 16.5% protein, still short on what I want for this group so I may mix game bird layer with it at the point they begin laying to up that protein a bit or I may just use the game bird layer, not sure yet.
I have never started chicks without animal protein in their feed, which is becoming more difficult as the entire industry goes to vegetarian feeds, a huge mistake IMO.
I truly believe chickens develop better if they get some animal protein, better feather quality and skeletal development, etc, especially early in their development, even if you have to provide it yourself by browning small amounts of ground beef or feeding them eggs if you have a surplus of those.
Breeders say that these larger exhibition types need more protein throughout their lives than the normal 16% in most layer feeds. Feeding a game bird layer can provide that, even if mixed with a normal laying feed.
I've seen a real life example of what inadequate feed can do in my Delawares. I sold a beautiful breeder quality Delaware cockerel to someone and later, when he showed me a picture, I was horrified and asked what he was feeding him. That cockerel's brother that I still owned was stunning but his relocated brother was the saddest, skinniest thing I've ever seen, terrible feather quality. He was feeding corn and other scratch feeds, only about 8% protein and the poor guy was stunted. Delawares are the original meat birds prior to the CornishX and they have very dense musculature and large frames. It made me sick to see that male who had the best start in life, but was ruined by inadequate feed and he did not leave here until over 12 weeks old so he was ruined in a very short time by bad feed even after the best start in life.
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You asked what I was feeding these monsters and I just should have said I started them on Meat Bird starter mixed with Game Bird starter mixed with Tucker Milling Non-GMO starter. Yeah, lot less typing there and TMI, sorry! I did spend a lot on getting them going and I will be feeding Show Flock Developer when all else runs out, which, at this pace, won't be long. 
