How long should chicks stay on starter feed?
Getting into backyard chickens and the homesteading lifestyle is one of the most rewarding decisions you can make. Whether you want to raise chickens for eggs or meat, learning where your food comes from and having a hand in that process is invaluable. But, no matter the size of your operation, jumping into chickens comes with many questions.
Foremost is what you should feed your chicks. Layer and meat birds are “started” on a special feed that meets their nutritional requirements. This feed is commonly called “chick starter” or “starter feed.”
Here’s all you need to know about “starter” feed. For more answers to your early chicken questions, you can check out this article.
How long should chicks stay on starter feed?
Matt: So, Howard got us a question on how long to keep chickens on starter feed. So, we're going to go to Dave over at Cargill and he is going to tell us because they do a lot with chicken feed.
Howard asks, how long do chicks stay on starter feed?
Dave: Yes, great question. So before I can answer it, I have to insert that there's different kinds of chicks. If they're going to be layer chicks, so if you're raising them up to lay eggs for you, then you want them to be on a starter feed, which is higher protein, 18%, for 16 weeks. So, from the time they hatch, for 16 weeks.
And then after that, you'll switch them over to a layer feed, which is a little lower protein at 16%. Of course, the reason I say different chicks is if you're raising, for example, meat bird chicks, those only live about six to ten weeks before you butcher them. So, they're actually going to be on a meat bird diet their whole life, from the time they hatch through the time you butcher them. It's simple if it's layer chicks, 16 weeks, straight up, there's your starter feed.
Matt: Perfect. Dave, again, thank you for your time and for all that great information.
Dave: Yeah, you're welcome. Thanks guys, I love doing these things.