The price of raise chicks may surprise you , which is why it ’s decisive to tip them aright for their age and eccentric — ball - bed or meat chicken — from the sidereal day they hatch or you bring them home . right feeding insures they ’ll requite you by reach their full potential for size , egg productionand beauty .
skirt and fryer rations can be homemade or purchased commercially . However , commercial-grade brands are generally recommended because manufacturers have honed their expression to yield fantabulous growth and performance . producer segregate these formulas by geezerhood and , further , into those for egg - layers or core razzing . The ingredients are exchangeable , but the dimension vary to provide the proper nutrition for each bird . Both medicated and nonmedicated provender are also useable . It ’s only a matter of selecting the correct provender for the age and breed of wench you ’re raising .
Janet Garman , author ofChickens from Scratch(2014 ) and proprietor of the website , Timber Creek Farm , says that the most important part of feed bird “ is to have feed available 24/7 , because like all growing sister , they run through and kip continuously . ”
Until they are about 6 weeks old , egg - lay breeds should be feed a chick - starter feed , while meat dame should be fed a broiler - starter . Young chicks make feathers and grow at an unbelievable rate , so it ’s imperative that they use up high stratum of nutrients and protein . The ration for gist breed chicks are higher in protein and sugar to maximise weight addition and increment .
After 6 weeks , ball - laying breedsshould be interchange to a pullet - agriculturist and center breeds to a broiler - closer . Grower and finisher feeds are low in protein because sure-enough chicks are no longer making many feathers and have different nutritionary motivation .
For egg - position breeds , there are pullet - developer rations that are used to replace the grower provender at about 14 weeks of historic period . Developer rations are word to prepare young pullets for ballock product . They can sometimes be difficult to get and are interchangeable to grower rations , so it ’s not vital to use a developer if it ’s not readily uncommitted .
Medicated provender are usually usable and are used to help foreclose chick losses due to the diseasecoccidiosis . They typically contain a coccidiostat and may also contain an antibiotic drug . They can be fed to chicks mean for egg up to 16 week of age and should be stop five days before slaughter for substance breeds .
Garman , a former provender storeowner , try out with chick eating costs and concluded that each chicken costs approximately 10 cent per sidereal day to prey .
“ That ’s ground on name - brand dame feeds at around $ 16 per 50 - pound bag , ” she say . “ If you extrapolate over the 20 week it might take an egg - layer to modernise , you arrive at $ 14 . That ’s my estimate of what it takes to raise a chick to egg - laying . ”
Of course , total costs can change widely establish on the character of provender used and the sentence it takes a chick to reach maturity . constituent and in high spirits protein feeds are more costly , while meat chicken are generally slaughtered much younger than egg - layers start produce .
Young birds can only give their maximum potency for growth , good look and egg - set if they encounter a right dieting . When fed right , chicks will thrive and eventually provide us with wad of hefty meat or ranking tasting eggs .
This article originally appeared in the March / April 2017 issuing ofChickens .
