When to switch from starter feed to growing feed?

[Chicken_Hubster]

How many weeks old should my chicks be when i switch their food, they are about 4 weeks old now. I still have about 25 pounds of starter feed left for my 10 BO's. Should i switch when i use all that up or wait longer?

 

[imthedude]

i couldn't find grower/developer feed in my part of the country, so i'm going to feed the chick starter/grower that i have been feeding since day 1 until they start to lay.

 

[Tala]

I think it says 10 weeks on the back of my Dumor grower....which I sometimes use for "teenage" chicks (after they get off the heat lamp) coz it's pelleted.

but I have also fed Purina Flock Raiser every day for every age and it's all good!!!

 

[chick4chicks]

I personally feed starter til point of lay.

 

[anniem]

I just put developer (crumble) out for mine, they are almost 10 weeks. I was thinking you can do it at 6?
I'd had starter, then got Purina start/grow that they said would be good until they start laying.

 

[pkforever]

I was wondering the same thing, I bought a 25 pound bag of starter too and don't want to just throw it out. I think my bag says like 18 or 14 weeks I can't remember... And then you go to pellets. I figured I would just mix them together when they get to age

 

[Laurie's Silkies]

It would help when asking questions about feed and switching from starter to grower to always give protein% involved. when it comes right down to it, that is what the differences are all about. because some starters are 18% and some are 22%, it can really vary.

 

[gryeyes]

Two feed stores around here provide competing information about this. One says starter until point of lay, and doesn't even stock the grower/finisher feeds. The other (the one I like the best for many reasons) says starter until 8 weeks, then grower/finisher, then layer when the hens start to lay. The employees there also say those are guidelines, not absolutes. If you've got feed of one kind left at the benchmark age, just finish using it, no biggie. Next bag, buy the next stage. If you run out a little sooner than the benchmark age, don't buy a whole bag of it, just start the next type of feed then.

And that's what I've done. My 9 chickens are quite healthy and happy.

Then I had to go get chicks and a couple of ducklings this spring, and then more chicks when those were put outside at 8 wks. Plus I have the layers, so I need THREE types of feed!

 

[A.T. Hagan]

I stopped using a grower feed long ago in favor of using starter until I either put them on a general purpose feed or a layer ration. Many starters such as from Purina are starter/growers so can be used all the way through.

.....Alan.