Making sense of all the different varieties of chicken feed can be very
confusing for first time and even semi-experienced chicken keepers.
“Mash”, “grower feed”, “medicated or unmedicated”, there is so much
jargon on the chicken menu it can genuinely be quite overwhelming.
That’s why the Backyard Chicken Coops team have created this
comprehensive glossary that will help you make sense of all the curious
culinary chicken feed concepts.
Starter Chicken Feed
Starter feed is a protein dense variety of chicken feed designed to
meet the dietary requirements of baby chicks. Generally speaking baby
chicks can live comfortably on a diet of starter feed and water for the
first 6 weeks of their life before progressing onto grower feed. The
high protein content, usually between 20-24%, helps young chicks grow
into playful pullets,
however it’s imperative that you phase out the starter feed once they
are 6 weeks old, otherwise the excess protein can cause liver damage.
To complicate matters, there are varieties of feed known as
starter/grower feed, which is essentially a type of feed that chickens
can eat from 1-20 weeks of age. But always read the label and consult
the nearest poultry guru if you have any doubts.
Grower Chicken Feed
Grower feed in many ways is like chicken feed for teenage chooks. The
dietary requirements for a chicken between 6 to 20 weeks old is very
different from a baby chick. Essentially grower feed contains a protein
content that is between 16-18% but has less calcium than regular layer
feed. In an egg shell, grower feed supports the continuing growth of
your teenage chookies without bombarding them with unnecessary vitamins
and minerals that are more suited for fully grown laying hens. Once your
girls start laying eggs that’s a good sign that they are ready for
layer feed.
To get the lowdown on when you should expect the first eggs from your
pullets, make sure you have a sticky beak at this eggcellent.
Layer Chicken Feed
For most of your flock’s life their diet will predominantly consist
of scrumptious layer feed. Layer feed has an ingenious balance of
protein, calcium and other vitamins and minerals that encourages top
tier egg laying abilities in your flock. Protein wise layer feed
contains similar levels of protein to grower feed, around 16-18%,
however has extra calcium to ensure that their eggshells are crisp,
clean and crunchy. Feeding layer feed to baby chicks or young pullets
however will not meet their unique dietary requirements. Layer feed
should only be fed to chickens around 20 weeks of age or once they have
started to lay eggs.
