Which food and how much?

[CityChicky]

Waiting on chicks to arrive in next day or two, only getting 7.
I have starter chick food and chick grit. But I would like to soak it prior to feeding. Planning on distilled water so there's no chlorine and I may not always have luxury of letting water sit around a day before starting more food. Not sure how much food I should soak and get ready for them, I would think they will be hungry when the arrive. I thought this would help eliminate any pasty but situations from arising and make sure they are hydrated.
But, my question is can I also give sprouts (small fodder)? When can they eat both and should there be a ratio? Eventually I would like to grow the fodder trays but is this supplemental to the egg laying food or in place of?
They will need larger grit and a juvenile food when they move outside?
Then egg laying food, large grit, and oyster shells like 20 weeks?
and the fodder?
Don't want to over feed them and hurt their legs. Would like to give them fruit and veggie scraps from kitchen for treats. Also, don't want food available all day once outside because the city has some ugly rats and I don't want to invite them to dine. 1/4 inch cloth going all around and over coop with run.
Please educate me

 

[3KillerBs]

Good quality chick starter, medicated or not according to your informed preference and clean, fresh water is all that is required.

I have always been told that chicks should be free-fed with unrestricted access to their chick starter at all times.

Chick grit is only necessary if they are eating things other than their chick starter -- which should only be offered in TINY quantities. (I had to improvise on that last summer when my chicks hadn't been in their outdoor brooder for half an hour when they started snapping up tiny ants and a group of them ganged up on a small spider).

 

[GC-Raptor]

I have starter chick food and chick grit. But I would like to soak it prior to feeding.

I would serve dry for a couple of weeks.
I sprinkle some Start and Grow feed on paper towels for a couple of days or longer, till I see them eating from the feeder.

I don't offer Chick Grit till 2 weeks old.
I mix into Start and Grow feed at a ratio of 1 to 40 by weight (2 ounces of Grit to 5 pounds of feed) starting at 2 weeks old.
If you offer Chick Grit free choice, watch them carefully, they may overindulge. A small amount offered once a week is fine. GC

 

[rosemarythyme]

I've never had very young chicks want to eat fermented feed, so I'd start off with dry feed. I don't have an issue with pasty butt, if they have it it resolves on its own within a couple days.

I'd save the fodder for when they're a bit older, and feed it as a treat in addition to their feed. Otherwise your feed plan is ok overall.

If you have 1/4" HWC over the whole set up, the rats shouldn't be a huge concern. I don't moderate feed during the day, but I do put the feeder away at night due to rodents.

 

[gtaus]

I only use dry chick starter for my chicks. In theory, you don't need chick grit if feeding starter food. However, sometimes chicks will eat their bedding, and therefore I always have chick grit available when I take them home. It does not hurt to have chick grit for their use and it might be helpful. I live on a lake, so I just put a jar lid full of sand in with the other food.

After the chicks are eating and drinking from the feeders and waterers, then I start to introduce small clumps of dirt with grass in a couple of weeks. You only want them taste a bit and not use it as a main food. Another few weeks, and I start to introduce small bits of kitchen scraps. I am a big fan of fodder as a supplement for grown chickens, but I would not give very much to young chicks. Fodder does not have the same nutrients as a balanced chick starter feed which I believe is best for the chicks.

As the chicks get older, I switch them over to a grower feed. The last week or so, I mix more and more grower feed into the last of the starter feed. The chicks seem to do better if you introduce new feed over a period of days. When they get to laying age, I switch them over to layer feed in the same way.

As my chicks get older, I will feed them more and more kitchen scraps. But I got my chickens with the idea in mind that they would be eating kitchen scraps and natural food I can gather. Commercial chicken feed has everything a chicken needs to stay healthy, but I like to think my chickens are happier eating kitchen scraps and grass clippings, scratching and pecking in the dirt, then only having commercial feed. I have commercial feed available 24/7 to my chickens, but they prefer to eat just about anything else before that dry feed.

Layer feed with calcium is supposed to have everything a laying chicken needs, but I always have extra calcium in a separate feeder in case any of the girls wants some. They do eat it, but not very much. So a small bag of calcium has lasted me more than 2 years for my 10 hens. Same with grit, but I have an outside run where they can eat dirt.

I don't know if it is possible to overfeed laying hens. I read that if they have food available 24/7, they naturally only eat what they need and not much more. If you only feed them once or twice a day, then they learn to stuff themselves with as much food as they can get down into their crop. I have a hanging feeder with commercial feed available 24/7, and I really don't see more than 1 or 2 chickens ever at the feeder at the same time during the day. And no fighting over the commercial feed.

Kitchen scraps, however, are worth fighting over and/or picking up and running away with before the sisters can get it. Gives another meaning to "fast food" when a hen grabs a tasty piece of leftover and runs all over the chicken run before she gets a chance to stop and gulp it down. Chicken TV at it's best.

 

[Sally PB]

Kitchen scraps, however, are worth fighting over and/or picking up and running away with before the sisters can get it. Gives another meaning to "fast food" when a hen grabs a tasty piece of leftover and runs all over the chicken run before she gets a chance to stop and gulp it down. Chicken TV at it's best.

Oh yeah!

 

[3KillerBs]

I don't know if it is possible to overfeed laying hens. I read that if they have food available 24/7, they naturally only eat what they need and not much more. If you only feed them once or twice a day, then they learn to stuff themselves with as much food as they can get down into their crop. I have a hanging feeder with commercial feed available 24/7, and I really don't see more than 1 or 2 chickens ever at the feeder at the same time during the day. And no fighting over the commercial feed.

Same here.

I have a traditional, hanging metal feeder and no problem with waste out of it. https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/in-praise-of-the-traditional-hanging-feeder.1452899/