I didn't know there were so many different kinds of feeds. There's starter, grower, layer, meat, medicated, non-medicated etc. I started my chicks with Manna Pro's medicated starter/grower. The reason I chose medicated is because my chicks didn't have any vaccines when I got them and to prevent them from getting sick while they are little, I was told medicated was the way to go.
I was surprised by how big the feed was for my tiny, 2 day old chicks. However, the chicks were content and processed the food normally. They are about 7-8 weeks old now and are still on the same feed. I researched that they should be on their starter until they are around 14-18 weeks old and slowly transition them to the layer pellets feed. This means weening them off of the little stuff by mixing foods. I should note that chickens normally have runny poo or diarrhea, its a one shoot hole which means that they pee, poop, and pop eggs out of there. It's important to monitor their droppings regularly just to see if there's a change in consistency or color. They could be getting sick in their tightly enclosed brooder or if they are free ranging like mine, they might have eaten something they shouldn't.
I am also constantly learning about the different foods I can feed my chickens. I started feeding them a few table scraps here and there at around 5 weeks. We moved them into their coop with the heat lamp during that time because they were already outgrowing their brooder. They can eat strawberries, zucchini, blueberries, and a thousand different things, but there are some things to look out for. For example, the stems on strawberries are actually poisonous. If they eat one, they will be fine, but it's important to look up what foods are safe before eating them.
A few of the foods to stay away from are:
- Avocados
- Moldy/rotted food
- Candy/chocolate
- Citrus
- Green potato skins
- Dry beans
- Junk food
- Tomato, pepper, and eggplant leaves
Lastly, DO NOT FORGET TO REFILL THE WATER and clean it out regularly as they kick their poop in there with other things that turn into a health risk for them. Also, check the inside of the waterer before you refill it, mine started growing mold so I took the time to wash it out with dish soap. Again, this won't kill them short term, but it can make them sick.
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