when to change feed?

[uchytil]

When do you all start meats on something other than chick crumble? Can I feed them other stuff like earthworms or ladybugs? My Cornish cross are a week old and I have a few Barred Rocks that are a week old.

 

[ketcham]

Good question.Mine are big enough to eat just about anything now.I had 12 on a 50lb of chich feed.Now I got them on regular feed.If they eat worms,they will eat anything!!!!! Kevin

 

[snowflake]

I think any thing you can git them to eat is OK but don't forget to give them some grit. try the meat bird section they will have lots of advice on best way to feed. We did cornish X last year they sure grow fast. we free ranged our's a little, they seemed very happy but you need lots of water all over cause they aren't to smart and they may not walk over to the water

 

[uchytil]

I'll try and search other posts for more specific info. concerning the switch from chick crumble to mature bird food. Not sure why I need to add grit though? The Cornish X are about 4 times the size of my Barred Rocks that are the same age. A neat aspect is the CX's put out so much body heat they keep the BR's warm

This group is going on two weeks old. I have plenty of crumble left so I think I'm good for another 2-3 weeks.

 

[Ridgerunner]

This article may help you on when top feed what.

Feeding Broilers
http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/ps035

Chickens do not have teeth to grind up their food, so they eat bits of rock and sand to use in their gizzard to grind up their food. Otherwise they cannot digest it. If they eat things like grass or other indigestible thiings, it can get caught up in their gizzard, cannot pass on through, and can cause an impacted gizzard. (This is different that impacted crop.)

As long as you feed them only prepared chicken feed, they do not have to have grit. It has already been ground up and them reformed into crumbles or pellets. But if you feed them almost anything else, they need grit to digest it.

 

[ketcham]

Thanks Ridgerunner,,,,good advice.I let mine out along a blacktop driveway.I know they are "picking up grit"Seem to be doing very well[the chickens]getting bigger every week.Kevin

 

[Lund Poultry]

if you are raising the cornish x for meat I would not switch them to a adult food. We keep ours on chick starter for a bag or two then switch to a meat maker.