A chicken’s diet is essential for keeping it healthy and productive. Sudden diet changes can be hard for your homestead flock to adjust to, and feed switches can even cause health problems if they are not done properly. While complete diet changes should be avoided as much as possible, there are times when a diet change is necessary for the health of your flock (such as when young birds switch from a starter feed to a layer feed). It is important that you know how to switch chicken feed for your homestead flock in a way that won’t cause digestive upset. You also don’t want them to stop eating their food because of a feed change. This simple guide will help you do a chicken feed switch properly on the homestead!
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Switching Life-Stage Feed
The most common (and necessary) feed switches you will have to do for your homestead flock is as they are growing and maturing. Chickens have different dietary needs at different stages of their life. As chicks, they need a high protein chick starter feed to help them grow properly. As they mature, their protein needs decrease, so you may choose to switch to a less expensive grower feed.
Once they reach reproduction age, their diet needs will change again. Full grown birds need the proper amount of protein in their diet. Laying hens need additional calcium for forming strong eggshells. Birds used for breeding benefit from a higher protein feed that is rich in vitamins and minerals.
You can learn all about the different life-stage dietary needs in this article on What to Feed Growing Chickens!
Since each feed for each life stage has different nutritional content, a gradual feed switch must be done. Even if the feeds look identical, you will still want to gradually introduce the new feed. Sudden changes in dietary elements, such as protein, can cause digestive upset and diarrhea. Diarrhea can lead to dehydration and inflames the digestive system. Overall, not good for your flock!
By gradually combining the two feeds, a chicken can consume the new feed in gradual amounts. That allows its body to adjust to digesting the new dietary elements (such as more or less protein). A feed change should take between 1-2 weeks. Most flocks can adjust to a new feed within 1 week. However, it is sometimes easier to gradually mix the feeds over the course of two weeks.
Here is an example schedule to follow when switching feeds gradually:
Example Feed Switch Schedule:
- 90% original feed, 10% new feed- day 1 through 3
- 75% original feed, 25% new feed- day 4 through 6
- 50% original feed, 50% new feed- day 7 through 9
- 25% original feed, 75% new feed- day 10 through 12
- 10% original feed, 90% new feed- day 13 through 14
- after day 14- 100% new feed
Following this schedule to the ‘T’ is not essential. It is just provides basic guideline percentages to help make sure you don’t make the feed switch to rapid for your flock. I usually do a feed switch over the course of 1 week. I just increase the amount of new feed I mix in more rapidly than the above schedule shows.
When to Switch Feeds
Since feed switches need to occur gradually, it is a good idea to plan ahead for when you should be changing your growing flock’s diet. You will want to purchase the new feed in advance so you can start gradually mixing the new feed with the original feed at the proper time. Here are the general age guidelines of what chickens should be fed as they mature:
- 1-19 weeks old: chick starter feed
- 6-19 weeks old: chick grower feed (optional)
- 19+ weeks old, layers: layer feed
- mixed flock (over 19 weeks of age): maintenance feed or layer feed
- breeding flock (over 19 weeks of age): breeding feed or enriched layer feed
There is usually one common feed switch you will have to do for growing chickens, the switch from a starter feed to a layer feed. However, if you choose to use grower feed as well, you will have one more switch to do. You will need to switch your flock from a starter feed to a grower feed and then to a layer feed. Additionally, after you switch from a layer feed, you may decide that you need to switch your flock to a maintenance feed or breeding flock feed depending on the needs of your flock.
To start a feed switch, you can begin to gradually mix the feeds at the age of when the feed switch should occur. For example, when switching your flock from a chick starter feed to a layer feed, you can start mixing the feeds when the chickens are 19 weeks old. The gradual feed switch will then be done by the time the chickens are 20-21 weeks old.
Switching Feed Type
Getting your homestead flock adjusted to a new type of feed is another kind of feed switch that you may have to do. Instead of changing the nutritional content of the feed, you are simply changing the form of the feed. There are several different kinds of chicken feed that you can feed your homestead flock. The most common types include crumbles, pellets, whole grain mixes, mash feed, and mixed feed types.
You can learn more about each feed type and which one is best for the homestead flock in this guide on Picking Out a Homestead Chicken Feed!
Switching the type of feed you give your homestead flock does not have to be as strict and gradual as a life-stage feed change. As long as the nutritional content of the feed stays relatively the same, a faster switch can be made. Since chickens are visual eaters, you basically just want to make sure your flock gets used to the new ‘look’ of their feed.
With that being said, if you are switching from a chick starter feed in crumble form to a layer feed in whole grain form, you will want to follow the gradual mixing guidelines outlined previously since the dietary elements in the feed will be changing.
A feed type switch can usually be accomplished in 5-7 days. Here is a simple schedule to follow:
Example Feed Type Switch Schedule:
- 90% original feed type, 10% new feed type- day 1
- 75% original feed type, 25% new feed type- day 2
- 50% original feed type, 50% new feed type- day 3
- 25% original feed type, 75% new feed type- day 4
- 10% original feed type, 90% new feed type- day 5
- after day 6- 100% new feed type
In most cases, your flock will accept their new feed type within a week. Your flock may even start picking out the new feed and leaving the old feed throughout the feed switch. Pickier flocks may need a longer adjustment time. Generally, a feed switch from pellets or crumbles to a whole grain or mash mix goes easier than vice-versa.
Troubleshooting Feed Switches
Sometimes a feed type switch can be hard for a flock. If they love one type of feed over another, you may consider just sticking with the feed type they most willingly eat. However, sometimes a feed type switch is absolutely necessary. Then you will need to help your flock adjust to a new feed type. Here are some ways to troubleshoot problems that may occur during a feed type switch:
Picky Eaters- Pellet & Whole Grain Mixes
As visual eaters, chickens naturally love whole grains. Whole grain feeds and mash feeds are usually accepted pretty quickly by both young chickens and older chickens alike. A mixed feed, such as a whole grain pellet feed, can sometimes present the problem of picky eaters. The chickens may pick out the whole grains and ignore the pellets.
You may notice that even though your flock eats all the whole grains first, they will go back and consume the pellets as well. I’m of the belief that chickens generally know what they need to eat to meet their daily dietary needs. If they want to eat the whole grains first, I don’t have a problem with that. As long as I also notice that the pellets are disappearing as well, maybe just not as quickly as the whole grains.
Each pellet will contain the same nutritional value, whereas different whole grains have different nutrients. A chicken will not need to consume as many pellets compared to whole grains since the same nutrition content is packed into each pellet.
Feed Wastage- any type of feed
Feed type switches can often lead to feed wastage. Especially if your flock likes one feed (or feed ingredient) over another. There is usually not a whole lot that can be done about feed wastage during the feed type switch. However, you may consider low-waste feeding systems such automatic feeders or hanging feeders.
Once a feed type switch has been completed, and you still find that your flock is wasting their new feed type, you may consider their overall diet. Is the feed providing them with more than enough nutrients? Are they going back and cleaning up the wasted feed? Are you giving them too many treats or table scraps so that they are only eating the feed ingredients that they need/want?
Analyzing these questions may help you prevent and solve feed waste problems.
Decline in Food Consumption
If you notice that your flock decreases their feed consumption during or after a feed switch, then you know something is up.
One cause for a decline in feed consumption would be if you switched to a higher quality, higher calorie, or higher protein feed. The more nutrients a chicken can receive from its feed, the less feed it will have to consume overall to meet its daily dietary needs. If you switched your flock to a higher quality feed, you may notice that they will eat less of the feed.
Free-ranging your flock can also cause them to eat less feed. You may notice a decline in feed consumption that coincides with increase foraging time. Your flock is probably consuming natural foods while foraging that help supplement their daily diet. Since some of their dietary needs are met during free-ranging, then will consume less of their regular feed.
However, if you don’t believe that is the case, then you will want to be on the lookout for these causes of decreased feed consumption:
- stale feed– chickens won’t like the taste of stale feed
- sickness– it is possible that your flock, or several members of your flock, could be ailing
- excessive bullying– a bully hen could be preventing others from eating from the feeder
- too many treats– make sure you aren’t giving your flock too many treats that will fill them up rather than allowing them to get filled up on their regular feed
Diet Change Guidelines
Life-stage feed changes and feed type changes are the most common types of feed switches you will have to do for your flock. However, you should keep the basic principles for changes in your flock’s diet in mind for whenever any kind of dietary change needs to occur.
This can apply to introducing new treats, new table scraps, or even switching feed brands.
Introducing New Table Scraps & Treats
When it comes to table scraps, chickens are usually pretty accepting of new foods! However, sometimes picky eaters or young birds may be ‘scared’ or wary of new foods. First, make sure the new food is safe for your chickens to eat, sometimes chickens instinctually know when something is not good for them. Once you determine the new food is safe (and even beneficial), you can encourage your flock to try the new food.
Combining it with treats or snacks that you know your flock already likes can be helpful. For example, if you are trying to get them to eat scary looking watermelon rinds, try sprinkling some dried grubs on the melon rinds. Chickens usually instinctually love bugs, so they will want to eat the bugs and will associate the watermelon rinds with something to eat as well.
Sometimes it will take several times of introducing the new food before your flock realizes it is safe, and delicious, to eat!
I have found that it also helpful to use one bowl for putting all of my flock’s treats and snacks in (besides scratch grains and black soldier fly grubs). They now associate the bowl with yummy snacks and will eat just about anything I put in the bowl!
Feeding Whole Grain Feed
When switching your flock to a whole grain diet from a pellet or crumble diet, you will want to take extra precautions. You may consider making the feed switch last longer, more like 2 weeks. Whole grains take more digestive power to be broken down than pellets or crumbles, which have already been processed.
Chickens who are fed a whole grain diet or who forage frequently will have a stronger gizzard (the part of the digestive system that breaks down food) than chickens who are only fed pellets or crumbles. Making the switch to a whole grain diet should be done gradually so that the chicken’s gizzard can build up muscle for digesting the tough grains.
Ensure that your flock has access to some form of grit as well, since grit will aid in the process of digesting the whole grains. Chickens love whole grains, so they will eagerly consume the new whole grain feed, just make sure they are prepared to digest the new grains too!
Changing Feed Brands
When switching to a different feed brand, treat it like you would when switching feed types. Compare the ingredients of the brand you currently feed your flock to the new brand’s ingredients. If there are significant differences in the ingredients or nutritional content, you will want to do a gradual switch.
Any sudden changes in nutritional content (such protein or calcium changes) or feed ingredients (e.g. different protein sources) can cause digestive upset. Give your flock plenty of time to adjust to digesting the new and different food by doing a gradual feed switch.
A 1-2 week gradual feed switch should be sufficient when changing feed brands.
Using New Supplements
Just like with snacks and treats, when you introduce a new supplement into your flock’s diet, they may need a little adjustment period. This is especially important for potent supplements that have a strong flavor, such as fresh garlic or oregano. Herbs that have a strong flavor will need to be gradually introduced in small quantities.
Offering supplements free-choice to your flock is a great way to let them pick and choose how much of the supplement they want or need. However, if you are adding supplements to your flock’s feed or water, you will want to do so gradually. You don’t want your flock to stop eating or drinking because of a strong, repelling supplement.
Start off adding the supplement in small quantities, then gradually increase the amount as long as your flock’s food and water consumption stays the same.
Keeping your homestead flock on a diet that’s appropriate for their age and natural for them to consume is important for raising a healthy homestead flock. Knowing how to properly make feed switches is essential when making life-stage feed changes or feed type changes. Any sudden change in dietary elements or nutritional content can cause digestive upset. A gradual introduction to new foods allows your flock the time necessary for getting their digestive systems on board with the new food. As visual eaters, it also allows your flock time to get used to the idea of eating a new food. Proper feed switches will help you raise a happy and health homestead flock!
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by Alexa
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