We get phoned about this more than almost anything else — someone has day-old chicks arriving and wants to know what goes in the feeder. This is the short answer, and the two feeds we recommend.
The three stages, and how long each one lasts
The most common mistake is moving off chick starter too early. It runs for six weeks, not two or three.
| Age | What to feed |
|---|---|
| 0–6 weeks | Chick starter. A crumble, fed free choice, day one onwards. |
| 6–18 weeks | Pullet grower. Lower protein than starter, and still low calcium. |
| 16–18 weeks on | A complete layer feed, once she is at or near point of lay. |
Why not go to layer feed early? A complete layer feed carries the calcium a hen needs to build eggshells every day. A growing pullet is not laying yet and has no use for that much calcium, and taking it in for weeks before she needs it is hard on young kidneys. Feed for the bird's age, not the bag you happen to have open.
The two we recommend
Both are proper mill-made feeds. The difference that matters to most people is whether the bag contains a coccidiostat — see below.
Laucke Mills Chick Starter
- Day-old to 6 weeks.
- 20% protein minimum, in crumble form so every mouthful is the whole formula.
- Contains a coccidiostat (lasalocid sodium) for the prevention of coccidiosis.
- After six weeks Laucke's own recommendation is to move to Pullet Grower MP or Red Hen Pullet until point of lay.
This is an extremely good product and the one we used for years. Laucke sells through produce stores and rural suppliers across Australia.
See Laucke Chick Starter Find your nearest stockist
Country Heritage Feeds Organic Chicken Starter Grower Mash
- Day-old right through to point of lay — it is a starter and a grower in the one bag, so there is no second feed to buy at six weeks.
- 18% protein minimum, available as a mash or a crumble.
- Certified organic, and unmedicated — no coccidiostat.
- At 16 weeks their recommendation is to start blending it with your layer ration rather than switching over in one go.
- Available Australia-wide, except Western Australia.
See the Country Heritage starter/grower
Medicated or unmedicated — which one?
A medicated chick starter contains a coccidiostat. It is not an antibiotic and it is not a treatment for a sick bird. It is a low dose in the feed that holds coccidia in check while a chick's own immunity develops, which is the point in its life when coccidiosis does the most damage.
A medicated starter is the safer default if your chicks are on the ground, in a shed that has held birds before, in a warm damp spring, or if you have lost chicks to coccidiosis before.
An unmedicated feed suits you if you want a certified organic bird, if your chicks were vaccinated against coccidiosis at the hatchery (a coccidiostat works against the vaccine), or if you are raising a small number on clean, dry, regularly changed bedding.
Either way, dry bedding and clean water do more than the bag does. Coccidiosis in chickens covers what to watch for.
Why the quality of the bag matters this much
A chick trebles its weight in the first couple of weeks. Everything it will be — frame, feathers, the laying gear it has not grown yet — is built out of what is in the feeder during that window. There is no catching up later.
Two things to avoid in the first six weeks: a coarse grain mix, because chicks pick out the bits they like and leave the protein behind, and scraps or scratch as a main feed, because every mouthful of those is a mouthful of balanced feed not eaten.
The rest of the brooder
Feed is one of three things a chick needs in the first few weeks. The other two are steady warmth and clean water.
- Heat plates for brooders — warmth from above, the way a hen does it, with no exposed bulb and proper dark at night.
- Our drinkers — the cup sits low enough for a day-old to reach, so the same drinker carries them all the way through.
- Setting up the brooder box, and when they can move outside.
Not sure which to buy? Ring us or drop us a line with how many chicks you have and where they are living, and we will tell you straight. Get in touch.