Nutritional Guidelines
These are recommended guidelines only. Nutritional needs may vary depending on your individual flock needs. Please consult your feed agent for your specific needs.
Nutritional Guidelines – Cornish Cross Giants.
0-3 Weeks – 20% medicated chick starter is recommended. Some feed contains Alltech technology to mitigate the risk of coccidiosis. This is different than traditional medicated feeds so we do recommend you contact you feed agents to discuss your needs in your particular area.
3-11+ Weeks – Use 16% medicated poultry grower (complete commercial feed) or 38% medicated poultry supplement mixed with rolled good quality wheat. If you are not using complete feed, keep birds on chick starter until 3 weeks of age. At day 22 change to 16% poultry grower and gradually over the next 2 weeks change over to your own ration. As soon as you feed grain and not a complete prepared ration, the birds need access to grit Remember that some feed contains Alltech technology, rather than using traditional medication to mitigate the risk of coccidiosis, so we do recommend you contact your feed agents to discuss your needs in your area.
When creating your own feed mixture keep in mind the protein level of the grain. You must have the level to 16% protein, and unless it has been tested this is impossible to know. But in general. the better the quality of the grain, the less supplement you may have to use. In a 50 bushel mix mill use 8 bags of 35% poultry supplement and then fill with high protein feed wheat. Make sure there is grit always available. If using barley or oats make sure it is clean of hulls and make sure you use it only with wheat and enough supplement to make up a 16% protein level. Wheat or corn is the most successful grain used for feeding poultry, but other grains may be used. Oats is one grain that we recommend be used as a scratch grain, and not as a complete diet.
Nutritional Guidelines – Egg Layers
0-4 Weeks – 20% medicated chick starter is advised for this time period. Please note that some feed contain Alltech technology rather than traditional medication to mitigate the risk of coccidiosis, so we do recommend you contact your feed agents to discuss your particular needs in your area.
4-14 Weeks – A 16% medicated poultry grower (complete commercial feed) or 35% medicated poultry supplement along with good quality rolled wheat should be fed at this time. As above, note that some feed contain Alltech technology to mitigate the risk of coccidiosis, rather than using traditional medication so we recommend you contact your feed agents to discuss the needs in your area.
14-18 Weeks – Now a 16% non medicated poultry grower (complete commercial feed) or 35% non medicated poultry supplemental to good quality rolled wheat can be fed.
18 Weeks and up – 16% layer ration (complete commercial feed) or 40% layer supplement along with wheat may be fed from now on.
*** Remember when mixing your own feed make sure the level of protein is the same with each batch mixed. Each year the grain protein is different so make sure you are thinking of this when mixing your feed. It’s best to test your feed so you know the protein level. You should also make sure oyster shell is added to the diet for optimum eggshell quality.
Grit
All birds need grit when using your own grains so don’t forget to have it available throughout their life.
Check out the FAQ page and the Care of Chicks page for more info on raising your flock. Please do not hesitate to call us at the hatchery in Russell for more information or with any questions that you may have.
Also see Care of Berg’s Chicks and F.A.Q.s