i have a 5 week old hen and 6, 3 week old isa browns. some suggest flock raiser but is that for meat birds or is it also for hens? what age should i feed it cause it says that at 10 weeks i should end chick starter/grower and move to something different. im a little over half a bag used so should i move to something else after i finish this bag. flock raiser is said for being from chicks to laying and once i get to laying i give them layer feed with oyster shell?
From what I've read... chick starter/grower till they lay. Then layer feed possibly supplemented with oyster shell in separate container... FWIW
All chickens of all ages can eat Flockraiser or unmedicated 20% chick feed (same thing). When they reach laying age, they'd need calcium on the side with this food. Or, you can switch them to layer feed which is lower in protein but has more calcium in it. Layer feed is meant to be a sole ration. By itself, it has enough protein and calcium. Problems can arise when treats are given. So, if you are prone to offering some scratch and vegetable scraps, staying with a 20% and calcium on the side gives you more flexibility. It also won't provide too much calcium for your rooster (if you have one) or chicks (should you ever mix ages).
Bags of feed have a chart with feeding instructions for all of the feeds that company produces. They're all a little different. Just follow the instructions on the bag. This is hard to mess up. It isn't set in stone except that non-laying birds shouldn't get layer feed (4% calcium). In general, the younger the bird, the more protein they can make use of.
I fed 18% protein start & grow till they started to squat after 15 weeks for my Golden Comets. I mixed half start & grow to layers pellets at sixteen weeks, for two weeks, then straight layers feed with oyster shell in a separate container and granite grit, separate container. The directions on my start & grow say to feed continuously as the sole ration to chicks and replacement pullets from hatch to onset of egg production (18-20 weeks). But from what I've read on here is you can feed unmedicated start & grow or flock raiser from hatch indefinitely, for the higher protein level than most layers feed with oyster shell on the side for egg layers. GC
