What % protein for 9 week olds? (will be layers)

[chuckzoo]

I currently have my two 9 week old pullets on non-medicated chick starter (18%). It says to feed them this until 8 weeks. What % do they need after 8 weeks.

I don't want them to grow too fast and start laying too soon because I've read that chickens that start laying early often have problems with prolapsed vent and egg binding.

 

[digitS']

This information from Auburn University may be of help to you, chuckzoo.

Nutrition for Backyard Chicken Flocks

You will find "Guidelines for the Nutrient Requirements of Different Ages and Types of Chickens" in Table 1.

Steve

 

[Ridgerunner]

The recommendation from the extension services is 16%. This is normally labelled Grower.

Starter feeds
Feed newly hatched chicks a starter diet until they are about 6 weeks old. Starter diets are formulated to give proper nutrition to fast growing baby chickens. These feeds usually contain between 18 and 20 percent protein.

It is not necessary to feed "meat bird starter" to young layer chickens. Diets formulated for starting meat chickens are higher in protein (22 percent) to maximize growth, which is not necessary or desirable for egg laying chickens and is higher in cost.

Grower and developer feeds
Once the birds reach about 6 weeks of age, substitute a grower feed for the starter. Grower feeds are about 15 or 16 percent protein and are formulated to sustain good growth to maturity.

After about 14 weeks of age, you can substitute the grower feed with developer feeds if they are available. These feeds are lower in protein than grower feeds (14 to 15 percent) and are formulated to prepare young chickens for egg production. Note: These two feed types are virtually interchangeable; either one can be fed to chickens between 6 weeks of age and the beginning of egg production.

Oregon State - Feeding Chickens
http://extension.oregonstate.edu/catalog/html/pnw/pnw477/#anchor1132074

 

[Happy Chooks]

I feed mine medicated chick starter until they are 12 weeks old, then I switch them to flock raiser. I do sometimes use layer feed (like when it's on sale next week I'll be stocking up!) When I have layer feed, I'll usually mix the layer with the flockraiser in the feeder. But I never give layer feed to my young birds.

 

[chuckzoo]

Wow! Thanks for the infomation and links. I have saved it for future reference.

Thank you!