The owner of the feed store says that....

[Tuffoldhen]

Quote:
For one, calcium is very hard young chicks' kidneys and can cause kidney damage. You want to risk that? There is a reason they make starter, grower and layer level feeds. I've known enough "feed store" people to know they aren't the experts people expect them to be.

Amen!!!

 

[deerman]

Can you feed starter ,grower , layer to any age chickens. YES YES YES, is that the proper way to raise the chickens NO , Lot of study have been done on what is the best feed for chickens at different age. Thats the reason different feed is made for different ages. So if you want the health and best for the chickens , feed what is made for them, Yes i know some peoplr have even raise chickens on crack corn, but for sure that was not best, those that want to save a few penny will in up paying one way or other, like less eggs, more feed to put meat on the birds, or more feed to raise the birds.



Just because other feed improper feed doesn't make it right........like my Dad would say if someone else jump off a bridge, does that mean you are going to jump off one .

 

[jadell]

But just because you THINK you are right, doesn't make you right either. As far as the science goes, I've never lost a chick because of them eating layer pellet. It works for me. I've never fed my birds improper feed, and I doubt anyone would. My girls serve a purpose, they are not pets. They are livestock. And if you leave bowls of calcium out, who says the baby chicks aren't eating that too? Unless of course they are in a different pen.

 

[stoopid]

And do all your children eat candy just 'cause it's easy, AND they like it, all day long? Just because it's a chicken....

 

[Tuffoldhen]

Quote:
That's what I just love about this site when someone comes along and knows exactly what they are talking about we have those that feed incorrectly and just because their birds have not perished those of us that have raised poultry and keep upto date are always in the wrong.

To each their own. Find a mentor or two.

 

[bullyforme]

Likening livestock husbandry to childrens' diets is ridiculous.

 

[Papa Rooster]

Umm idk if this is good for chicks or not but i have some 2-4 week old black marane chicks and all i do is put cracked corn in there for all of my chickens. they seem 2 eat it and be perfectly healthy. but i also let them free range all day long so the regulate themselves. i have never payed to much attention to the protien percents or calcium or pretty much anything. i used to buy chick starter but then i just stopped because the chicks didnt eat much of it but they liked the corn. ive always heard you could give a chicken anything as long as they get outside at least a hour a day so the can fill up on anything they are lacking.

 

[stoopid]

Maybe that is why the kids nowadays are too lazy/fat/stupid/unemployed (add your own insult here).
My chickens are my children, and that is that. They get the best, not what is convienient, or the cheapest...

 

[GardenState38]

Fred's Hens :

Either high layer level calcium is harmless to chicks or it is potentially harmful. It cannot be either one or merely one's opinion. What does the agri-science say?

THIS is logic!

But it comes down to the fact that, in the end, different people have different priorities and will pick and choose what they want to believe. While some people (myself included) will read "potentially harmful" and immediately steer clear, others will see "potentially harmful" and figure that saving a few bucks or having the convenience of feeding one bag of food trumps any potential risk that may be involved. Some of us raise chickens as pets or for show, while some of us raise them as a commercial enterprise.

But, just because you take risks on your own flock by feeding layer pellets to chicks, should you be promoting the practice to others? Likewise, many people on this site decry the use of medicated starter, saying they've never used it and have NEVER lost a single chick. Are they right, or are they just lucky? Is it responsible for them to be advising against medicated starter to people who live in an entirely different part of the country and/or climate?

Myself, I almost had a fit when my feedstore clerk brought me a 50 lb bag of starter crumble in a bag marked "Layer feed". I immediately assumed he had made a mistake (The more I deal with people over the years, the more I'm inclined to think they know next to nothing about anything. Unfortunately, I find that I'm correct 80% of the time.

But in this instance, I was wrong--Being a newbie, I didn't know that the tags were what really mattered, and they sometimes pack the feed into any bag that is handy. BUT I DID know that I was not going to be feeding my chicks layer feed during their growing months, due to the higher calcium.​

 

[ReikiStar]

Quote:
X's 2!! They make different stages of life feed for children, puppies, kittens, etc. There is a reason they make a feed based on different life stages because during each stage they biologically need something different than the previous growth stage.

You can ask what others would do and why. But among those answers you'll get opinions which are based on personal preferences, some on popularly known beliefs and some are scientifically based facts. As a sentient human, one has to decide which works for them and ultimately (in this case), for the good of their chickens.