The Rubys are growing up fast and increasing in size quite considerably, and today we changed their diet to introduce Growers Pellets, which they’ll be on from about 8 weeks to 16 weeks.
They’ve been fed Chick Crumb since day 1, which contains a higher amount of protein to help with their early muscular and bone development. This food is a crumb consistency as it’s easier for the chicks to process, given the early development of their digestive system.
In a few days’ time they’ll be 8 weeks old and by that stage of their life should be feeding on Growers Pellets, which contains a lower proportion of protein, and at 16 weeks old, we’ll move them onto Layers Pellets, which contain the right nutritional balance for a laying hen. In order to move them over to their new feed, for the next few days they’ll be eating a mixture of Chick Crumb and Growers Pellets, to get them used to their new diet.
The proportion of the main ingredients in the various feeds is:
Chick Crumb: Protein 19%, Oil 4%, Fibre 4%, Ash 6%
Growers Pellets: Protein 16%, Oil 3.5%, Fibre 4%, Ash 6.5%
Layers Pellets: Protein 17%, Oil 3.25%, Fibre 4.5%, Ash 14%
They seemed to approve, including Ruby, who excitedly called the chicks over when the pellets were added to their feeder!