Transitioning from Starter to Grower Feed Help

[Feathered babie]

I use Purina Flock Raiser for my whole flock, including when I have chicks (after they finish their medicated starter bag). It's a 20% feed with no extra calcium so it's good for all ages and stages. I just give them calcium on the side for the layers.

Thank you so much!

 

[BigBlueHen53]

I buy one small bag of starter or grower if I'm raising chicks indoors, and when that runs low I start mixing it with all-flock crumbles. If Mama Hen is raising them, they are on All Flock from the get-go. They do well either way.

 

[Feathered babie]

I stopped bothering with grower feed long ago. I now just keep them on starter feed until I find the first pullet egg then begin transitioning them over to layer feed. I do this by mixing the starter and layer half and half until the starter is gone.

I'm in n/c Fl and use exclusively FRM feed and have for years now. You may not be able to find it down in Spring Hill. Most all of the name brand feeds will do well. The only two I do not particularly care for are Tractor Supply's DuMor and Wal Mart's layer feed, but I have no doubt there are those who have fed them with complete success.

Why don’t you like Dumor? I was thinking of switching to that one because Naturewise has a lot of crumble…dust from the feed not sure if all feed is like that. That one is also starter/grower so I figured why change the food when it’s good throughout all stages of their lives? I’m also new to raising chicks. They’re layers and I do want to offer them the best balanced diet.

 

[Feathered babie]

I buy one small bag of starter or grower if I'm raising chicks indoors, and when that runs low I start mixing it with all-flock crumbles. If Mama Hen is raising them, they are on All Flock from the get-go. They do well either way.

Mmm now I’m wondering if I should change their feed. I’m new to raising chicks. The feed I have then on is Naturewise and it’s starter/grower. At the feed store I was told they’d do fine with that. I don’t want them to just be fine I want to offer the best quality feed and routine throughout all stages of their lives. Theyee re my layers. Half of them 8 weeks old the other 3weeks old.

 

[Briarhopper Ranch]

I feed Kalmbach 20% Flockmaker to everybody: Laying hens, roosters/cockerels, pre-lay pullets, turkeys, chicks. This keeps things simple: One feed bag, no feed transitions.

• I keep crumble handy if I have babies, and serve pellets if no small beaks are present.
  • With freshly hatched chicks, crushing the crumble into smaller bits is possible if needed using your choice of kitchen tools.
  • I sprinkle chick grit (aka "sand") on the crumble in the feeders and don't serve treats typically until they're ready to leave the brooder.
• Free-choice oyster shell flake is always available to layers and free-choice grit is always available, even though we free-range.

Yesterday I collected 15 eggs from 18 eligible layers, which is not a bad ratio given the makeup of my flock. All 5 of my ladies who will be 4 in July laid eggs, and I've got less-frequent layers like Marans and a turkey hen in the flock, so I'm pleased with this ratio. I've only lost one baby chick in my flock-manager career, a 2-day old Bielefelder who simply failed to thrive.

Do what's best for your birds, but I'm joining the chorus here encouraging folks to keep it simple.

 

[K0k0shka]

I used Dumor for a while and didn't like it because it had a strong chemical smell. I don't know if it was just that batch, or that's how it is. Maybe it was fine, but it was just off-putting. Purina smells like fresh bread I put the whole flock on medicated Purina chick starter when I have chicks in the flock, and after they finish one 50 lbs bag, I switch the whole flock to Purina flock raiser crumble. I don't mix it in to transition between the two or anything, the chickens can't tell the difference - both are crumble, both are 20% protein, and the addition of amprolium in the medicated starter isn't something they can taste. The medicated starter won't hurt the adults at all. They always have calcium on the side anyway, for the layers. I've been doing this for years, and everybody is healthy and happy.

 

[Appalachickens]

I use Dumor 20% Starter/Grower feed for all my birds, Chicks to Adults.

I do the same. I give them a little wet mash every morniing made with Kalmbach Chickhouse Reserve, but their feeder stays filled with the Dumor Starter/Grower.

 

[Appalachickens]

I feed Kalmbach 20% Flockmaker to everybody: Laying hens, roosters/cockerels, pre-lay pullets, turkeys, chicks. This keeps things simple: One feed bag, no feed transitions.

• I keep crumble handy if I have babies, and serve pellets if no small beaks are present.
  • With freshly hatched chicks, crushing the crumble into smaller bits is possible if needed using your choice of kitchen tools.
  • I sprinkle chick grit (aka "sand") on the crumble in the feeders and don't serve treats typically until they're ready to leave the brooder.
• Free-choice oyster shell flake is always available to layers and free-choice grit is always available, even though we free-range.

Yesterday I collected 15 eggs from 18 eligible layers, which is not a bad ratio given the makeup of my flock. All 5 of my ladies who will be 4 in July laid eggs, and I've got less-frequent layers like Marans and a turkey hen in the flock, so I'm pleased with this ratio. I've only lost one baby chick in my flock-manager career, a 2-day old Bielefelder who simply failed to thrive.

Do what's best for your birds, but I'm joining the chorus here encouraging folks to keep it simple.

I got 16 eggs yesterday from 19 layers. Since I have three roosters, I don't want to use the calcium-enriched layer feed and also do oyster shell/crushed egg shell on the side. But I use crumbls because I have one hen with a bad crossbeak and I want to make sure she can eat. I have a treadle feeder, so the crumbles aren't a problem in terms of mess.

 

[fowltemptress]

Naturewise has a lot of crumble…dust from the feed not sure if all feed is like that.

I was wasting so much feed from losing it to dust that I started collecting it in the evening and giving it back to the birds the next morning after wetting it down with water. They always gobble it up before going for the dry feed, but on the rare occasion there's any left over I always throw out the wet stuff at the end of the day. I don't want issues with mold or anything like that.

 

[MysteryChicken]

I used Dumor for a while and didn't like it because it had a strong chemical smell. I don't know if it was just that batch, or that's how it is. Maybe it was fine, but it was just off-putting. Purina smells like fresh bread I put the whole flock on medicated Purina chick starter when I have chicks in the flock, and after they finish one 50 lbs bag, I switch the whole flock to Purina flock raiser crumble. I don't mix it in to transition between the two or anything, the chickens can't tell the difference - both are crumble, both are 20% protein, and the addition of amprolium in the medicated starter isn't something they can taste. The medicated starter won't hurt the adults at all. They always have calcium on the side anyway, for the layers. I've been doing this for years, and everybody is healthy and happy.

Every time I open a bag of Dumor it smells like Peanuts. Never noticed any chemical smell, nor are there any chemicals in the ingredients.