What is the difference between chick starter and chick starter/grower?

[Andora]

I usually buy chick starter, but the feed store was all out of it. I ended up just getting chick starter/grower because I had to have some more food and couldn't drive all the way back out to the feed store. The back of the bag said the chick starter is 24% (protein?) and the chick starter/grower is 20%.

My birds are 12 weeks and 16 weeks old. Will the starter/grower be ok? They don't seem to like it! They usually eat 2/3rd's of a 7 pound feeder everyday, but this new food (it's Dumor instead of a local made kind) they haven't hardly eaten any! What's up with that? I usually don't buy Dumor because it makes them poop more and their poop smells so much worse than when they eat the other brand, but in this case Dumor was better than nothing since the other was sold out.

 

[birdsofparadise]

By 12 weeks, they should be on 20% protein feed. 24% is medicated and has too much protein once they are feathered out. The extra early protein boost is to help in feather production.

As for the brand difference, I donʻt know what to say. Some local feed contains fish protein which some chickens object to. But your problem seems to be a brand issue rather than a protein level issue.

 

[Andora]

I'm not too worried about the brand issue, unless it being out of stock is a new thing. That wouldn't be cool.

So 20% is the right thing? I feel better knowing that. Maybe they are eating less because it's the correct amount of protein and nutrients now?