very confused

[crabbycrackers]

just got my first chicks may 3rd at atwoods. 2 are for sure female and the rest are straight run, there are 6 chicks.
the food i was told to get is called chicks starter grower crumbles medicated. i happened to read the bag and it says to only feed up to a certain amount of time for broiler and laying hens. so am i feeding the girls to much protein? what food should i feed them at 4 weeks when they move to the coop? also my daughter feeds them bugs daily, should she stop?

 

[azygous]

Relax! Ignore those instructions on the bag! Feed the bag of chick starter until it's all gone. You won't hurt the chicks with too much protein. Same goes for the bugs. You may even begin to introduce foods such as a leaf of lettuce, slice of melon, an orange cut open. The only thing to remember is the grit. They need it to digest anything beyond the chick feed. It can be just a simple tiny dish of sand.

I usually place a tub of sand in the brooder so the chicks can play and dirt bathe in it. Do it! It's a hoot to watch!

 

[Mountain Peeps]

How I learned it is that chicks need a starter/grower feed of 18-20% protein. Once they age to 8 weeks they should eat a grower of 16-18% protein. NOTE: If the chicks ate a 18% starter/grower they will NOT have to be switched to the grower feed. Once they reach 18 weeks or older the hens need to be eating a 16% protein layer feed along with calcium. (I've never raised meat birds so I can't help you with that.)

The bugs are fine for the chicks to eat by the way, just make sure they have grit.

 

[crabbycrackers]

thanks guys, they seem to be really happy , besides one she hates to be handled the others love it tho lol