There are different kinds of chicken feed 
I know it can get confusing
Which one should you use? ?
If you’re raising meat birds… 
You need a broiler starter until their six weeks old, that’s 20-24% protein
Then after that you put them on a broiler finisher which is 16-20% protein
They stay on the broiler finisher until they’re ready to go to slaughter
If you’ve got layer hens… ?
Baby chicks get Chick Starter until they’re 6 – 8 weeks old, that is 20-22% protein
That supports their growth really well
Then after that they can go on Pullet Grower, or Grower Feed, until they’re 20 weeks old, and that is 14-16% protein
After they’ve hit 20 weeks old they can go on Layer Feed, which is 15-18% protein
This will sustain them through the years of laying eggs year after year
Personally, I skipped the grower feed only because the Big Sky Layer Mash that I use is 16% protein
So it fits in the range of the grower feed and the layer feed
If you do your research on all of the different brands of chicken feed…
They basically all have the same ingredients
With a few things you might find in one that’s not in another
There’s no perfect feed out there
I actually take the Big Sky Layer Mash and add a few things to it
In my feed pick up video you can see my personal process
But there’s a couple of different kinds of feed when you’re talking about layers, not just the protein percentages…
There’s medicated feed… 
Chick starter comes in regular chick starter and medicated chick starter
So, what is the medicated?
That has medication in it for coccidiosis
But if you’ve gotten vaccinated chicks
Then don’t put them on the medicated feed
Because the medicine that’s in the medicated feed will counteract the vaccine
They don’t work well together
So, if you vaccinate, you just need the regular chick starter
If you don’t vaccinate, then you can decide if you want to use the medicated chick starter.
Then, there’s also traditional feed versus organic feed…
Traditional feed isn’t non-gmo or organic
I prefer organic feed, because we eat organic 
So, I want organic eggs
I only feed my girls organic treats and organic feed
Organic feed is a little more expensive
So it really just depends on what you’re goal is with your flock
I also don’t want my girls eating soy, or canola, or corn.
So, the organic feed that I get, the Big Sky Later Mash, doesn’t have those as ingredients
To hear more about the Big Sky Layer Mash, you can look at my feed pickup video
I talk more about it in there, and I’ve also got a post about it
I hope this gives you a better understanding of the different kinds of feed for your flock
So that you can make the right decisions for you ?
Remember … Be The Organic U – Feed Your Soul
#BeTheOrganicU #organic #homestead #sustainability #agriculture #coops #farming #gardening #chickens #backyard #eggs #farmlife #homesteading
