Feeding homemade mixes or kitchen scraps to your birds can cause major nutritional deficiencies. The best way to ensure your chickens get the nutrition they need is to feed a complete diet that is formulated for their age and nutrient requirements. The list below explains the types of feeds that are suited for the chickens’ various life stages.

Meat Birds

0-8 weeks: Feed Ace Hi Quick Gro or Kelley’s Chick Quick Gain until birds are at processing weight, around 8 weeks.

Egg Laying Birds

0 to 8 weeks: Feed Ace Hi or Kelley’s Chick Starter Mash. This feed is high in protein and is finely ground, allowing chicks to easily digest it. Chicks grow rapidly in the first 8 weeks of life and need a high protein feed.

8 to 18 weeks: Feed Ace Hi or Kelley’s Grow Mash. This feed is slightly lower in protein due to the slowing growth rate of chickens at this age. It is a little more coarsely ground and is a good transition from chick starter to their adult food.

OR

0 to 18 weeks: As an alternative feeding program, you can feed Ace Hi or Kelley’s Starter Grow Crumble from 0 to 18 weeks. Some chicken keepers prefer feeds in crumble form.

18+ weeks: Feed a Lay Feed, like Ace Hi Big Feeder or Kelley’s All Purpose. They are available as mash, crumble, and pellet, and have the protein, vitamins, and minerals that adult birds need. Lay feeds also have the calcium that hens need to produce strong egg shells.