Would this be good feed?

[sillycmoy]

I'm new and my chicks are 6 weeks, so we are still on Medicated Chick Starter. They will be free ranging all day long once they are bigger then my naughty wild birds. I came across this ad locally and didn't know if it was something that would be good to give the girls and if it is a good price.

Thanks for any suggestions. I really need to start looking into what to feed them since they are growing up so fast.


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[polarbearpilot]

I would if there was a deal like that near my place. I give my growing chicks cut up vegetables which give them extra vitamins. If you worry about the calcium, you can crush eggshells in a coffee grinder and mix in with the feed. I don't think the chicks are big enough to eat oyster shell, my grown hen don't even like or eat it.

 

[sillycmoy]

I wasn't planning on adding the oyster shell until they are laying, but if I buy a few bags of each that would be good to feed? And should I start feeding it to them now or wait. And how much should I feed them, right now they have a 15 lb metal feeder that they have all day long with the chick starter. Do I just mix it in with their food? Sorry 100 questions.

 

[ChickensRDinos]

I think "good" food is really subjective. It has a lot to do with what your goals are for raising chickens. If you are looking for an all grain feed then this seems like it could be good option. Some people prefer a feed with animal protein and others prefer without.

This looks like a grower or flock raiser type feed. As they mention, this means that you will likely need to supply an separate calcium source. This can actually be a good thing because when the calcium is separate the birds will only eat it as needed and will not get too much. So, if you have a mixed-age flock at any point or a rooster or molting birds, they will not be over-eating calcium like they might be with a layer feed where the calcium is mixed in. (You never want to give layer to young birds who are not yet laying). But, some people prefer a layer for their hens so they do not have to deal with the extra calcium.

This does not appear to be organic. Which may or may not matter to you but if it does make sure what you buy specifically says that -- it does tend to cost quite a bit more.

Does the feed bag come with any other labels? They will using have a tag on the side that has a complete breaking down of all the nutrition like % calcium, % amino acids, etc. If you are concerned you can also compare it with other foods you are looking at the see what is actually different, especially if you are trying to compare what you are getting for what price.

 

[ChickensRDinos]

I wasn't planning on adding the oyster shell until they are laying, but if I buy a few bags of each that would be good to feed? And should I start feeding it to them now or wait. And how much should I feed them, right now they have a 15 lb metal feeder that they have all day long with the chick starter. Do I just mix it in with their food? Sorry 100 questions.

When you decide to take them off the medicated started is really up to you. Some people never use the medicated at all. If you have some left you might as well keep feeding it until it is gone. You can start mixing them together if you want. You can switch to a food like this at any time. Wait and add the oyster shell when you notice signs of starting to lay or around 20 weeks.

 

[sillycmoy]

Well, never thought about it that way, we started with rescued out of the trash can chicks, and have added a few more. I guess we are keeping chickens because we love them now, and really just for good tasty eggs. So what does everyone suggest, I want them to be happy and healthy, I'm not too worried so much about the money on feed.