when should i switch to layer feed?

[cockadoodle]

Mine are on layer now at 17 weeks for their primary food. I wanted to get them off the medicated starter / grower a few weeks before they are supposedly going to start laying. Kind of a hard age since they might start laying tomorrow or not till August.. Almost bought a bag of the flock raiser, I'm sure that would have been fine too, I don't really have enough chickens to justify a 50lb interim bag or I would have gone that route. I'd say maybe 60% of their daily intake is the layer feed, the rest is what they get in the yard, still have some lawn left in their run + a few treats. Saw the biggest slug today of my life, that went into the run almost immediately

Mark

 

[speckledhen]

Quote:
What brand is that? I can't think of any good reason to put a 9 week old chick on laying mash. That is when grower is usually started, if you can even find plain grower. The calcium levels in layer feed are detrimental to chicks.

 

[cockadoodle]

16 to 17 weeks was perfect for me as it turns out.

My wife just called me from home to let me know that we got our first egg this morning

First egg from my first flock... I want to go home and see it but am stuck downtown working.

Put them on layena about 5 days ago.

I couldn't have timed the feed switch any better if my hen had told me herself that she had an egg on the way. Off to get a loto ticket now..

~Mark