When to switch from Grower to Layer?

[Heelers&Chickens_OhMy]

I have 3 11 week old chicks. As I understand it, they need to move to layer food around 16 weeks?

However, I somehow managed to go through 50 lbs of food between 5 weeks and 11 weeks. No, my birds are not overweight. I had:

Dogs that like chicken feed (and somehow forgot they are carnivores?)
Dogs that spill chicken feed
A bad feeder...so chickens spilled chicken feed
and I ended up ruining a lot of food just by poor aim with the hose

I have also cut back on my free range time in the heat. The girls are getting a lot of cool melon treats right now and they seem to love it.

So....what happens if I switch early?

 

[Eggs4Sale]

We switch to layer when we think they are going to lay, anywhere from 20 weeks to 40 weeks, depending on the breed.

Your dogs will probably like the Lay feed just as much. Mine do!

It will not 'hurt them' to switch now. People that have different groups at different ages do this all the time.

 

[Heelers&Chickens_OhMy]

I have a white leghorn, barred rock and......black sexlink? The jury's still out on her!

 

[Eggs4Sale]

The black sex-link could start in about 6 weeks, or wait the full 9 weeks.

Try the lay crumble and see how they like it.
Don't do pellets.