When to feed pellets?

[LoveHuevos]

My chickies are almost a month old and I was just thinking ahead and wondering when we could start feeding them pellets? They almost have their all their feathers in.

 

[Ridgerunner]

By pellets I assume you mean Layer feed.

There are three different consistencies of feed: mash, crumbles, and pellets. The way I understand it, it is all manufactured as pellets. Crumbles are pellets ground up some. Mash is pellets ground up a lot.

The normal progression of feed is to feed them a Starter, usually around 22% protein, for their first 6 weeks. By this time, they should have all their first feathers. After 6 weeks and until they are 20 weeks old or start to lay, you normally use 16% protein Grower. After they turn 20 weeks or they start to lay, switch to 16% Layer. The main difference in 16% Grower and 16% Layer is that the Grower usually has a little over 1% calcium which they need for normal bome growth. The Layer usually has over 4% calcium, which they need for the egg shells. The problem with feeding Layer with the high calcium is that high levels of calcium can harm the chicks' kidneys or cause bone deformations. Once they reach maturity, they can handle the extra calcium, but it can be harmful to growing chicks. It is not that the growing chicks immediately fall over dead the minute they eat some extra calcium, but it can have long term effects.

There are variations to this. The progression I gave you assumes you are raising them to be a laying flock. If you are raising them to be meat birds, not for laying, then the protein percentages in the feed go up. There is another variation in that you can feed a 15% Developer from 13 weeks until 20 weeks if you wish and it is available.

If people are raising chickens both for some to be for meat and some to be for eggs, they can use a 20% Flock Raiser, which is a compromise between the raising them for a laying flock and raising them for meat.

Usually Starter and Grower are crumbles. Layer can be either crumbles or pellets.

Hope this helps.

 

[LoveHuevos]

I forgot to add that we are using them for laying eggs. We have older hens but I forgot when to feed them crumbles/pellets.

 

[Higins00]

The earliest I have started pellets is after 8 weeks, the grower. I keep mine on crumple a bit longer or until i'm done with the bag.