When to switch from starter feed to scratch?

[shelby528]

I currently have 13 chickens who are approximately 8 weeks old...I'm not exactly sure if I should feed them their starter feed or scratch? Any ideas?
I have them in with my ducks,so their eating duck grower...

 

[jhm47]

Scratch is only to be used as a treat. Feed it very sparingly. Young birds in particular need starter/grower till they are mature. Scratch is a very palatable mixture of grains that tastes good to the birds, but it is not nutritionally balanced.

 

[Guinea Goonie]

If you are not free ranging your birds, the scratch will not be enough for a total nutritional feed.

You can, if you so desire, feed a 50/50 mixture of starter and poultry grain.

latter you can feed finisher and grain.

I do this at about 8 weeks and I throw the birds in the barn at about 12 weeks and they learn to free range.

I throw poultry grain every morning and I put vitamines/electrolytes in their water ONCE per week.

The flock goes through about 5 gallons of water every 36 hours.

I have a few that rarely go out of the barn, but they seem pretty happy with the vitamine suppliment.

I encourage free range. However, in the winter I do use a cheap feed.

I DO have layer rations out ALL THE TIME and the roos even eat it.
I use the pellets as I find they waste it much less than the crumbles.

I also have oyster shell out ALL THE TIME for the hens.

You can mess around with the egg rations (layer), the poultry grain (scratch), the suppliments and a cheap chicken feed such as found in your local feed store.

I always have starter around for sick birds as they tend to recover quicker with this.

Free range is the best, but if you can not do this then you need to put something down besides "scratch".

Hope this helps.

 

[twentynine]

Never!

switch to Flock Raiser or Laying pellets/mash.

But what you are feeding them now ain't bad.