When to Switch Feed??

JSossong

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At what point do you switch chicks from starter feed to layer feed? The back of starter feed I have now recommends 10 weeks- my girls are at 8 weeks now. Do I have to wait that long? Or will switching their food sooner be okay?

Thoughts and advice welcomed!!
Thanks
xxx
 
Don't put them on layer till they are at least sixteen weeks or until they actually start laying. If you mean grower/finisher it would probably be ok to switch them now.
 
Especially when you buy large sacks and one is nearly out --but you know you won't use a whole sack of starter any longer..I would sure consider going to the layer...

I use chick starter until 8 weeks -- because I use "medicated".. Really not medicine but Amprolium to keep coccidicis at bay. So after 8 weeks I switch to a feed that I can use for all the chickens including the roosters... All Flock or flock raiser. Mine comes in a green bag from Purina - and I get it at TSC.
 
Chickat everything I have read on hear says calcium added to the layer feed is not a good thing for young chicks. But yes to what you said about the flock raiser. As soon as my older hens have finished off the bag of layer they are working on now, I will be switching to a flock-raiser as I will be integrating the 10 week old chicks into them so I will be putting out oyster shell for the laying hens.
 
You are so right about the calcium overload that is possible. I like the idea that they have calcium free-choice, and I put in both oyster shell and I also crush up all the eggshells from the chickens. I microwave them for about 1:30 when I am making a cup of hot water---and they crunch up pretty fast with a smash of a can of canned pineapple just for the smashing purpose.

When I have a broody hen raising the babies, I just put the flock raiser in the feed dish - because the broody wouldn't be good on the Amprolium - so those chicks never get any baby-food /feed.
 
@Mountain Peeps exactly what I was looking for!

Thank you everyone for your input! I got it all straightened out!
 

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