Alternative to chick starter

Looking for some suggestions on what I could feed chicks for up to a week or two without having to buy a 20lb bag of chick starter? These chicks are going to customers and I only need a little.

I've been giving them Red River cereal (uncooked) with some cornmeal and ground oat flakes but they're not really eating it and I'm starting to get worried. I gave them some cooked egg and yogurt yesterday and they devoured and now I'm concerned I've been starving them up till then as I rarely see them eating the grain.

I would get cat kibble and crush that down (coffee grinders work great) and some canned cat food. They should be fine on that and enjoy it.

Thanks Arctic. Appreciate it. Will they then take to the chick starter no problem when owner's take them home and put them on grain?

Oh oh. I don't know, but these are might thoughts, like it or not. I think there are some very important nutrients in the chick starter that are there, they give the chicks a good start in life. Perhaps there are other mixes that are just as good. But I would never chance anything but the best start I can give to chicks. I am sure that others do not feel that way, but I do. I know a 20 kg bag is a whole lotta feed, and the chick starter is a little more expensive. But..are you going to be raising more chicks? You could always have this on hand if you bought a big bag, if you are going to start more chicks. If not. Buckerfields has a bulk section and sometimes they will have small bags of chick starter, the co op does too, ya, not everyone wants a big bag of something or other. I believe though, like anything that lives, the first days, months, years, whatever the species of life, needs the best they can get to get their little bodies ready for the years ahead. Just my two cents here. Have a wonderful day, CynthiaM.

When Buckerfields in Kelowna gets a broken bag the seperate it into little plastic bags for people that don't want as much. Maybe check around your feed suppliers, one of them may do the same thing.

I was going to say - my feed store in Williams Lake is very happy to break up one big bag into smaller ones (using the bigger sandwich bags). Maybe ask/suggest? I just got them to do that for my new goslings - got a small bag of goose starter, enough for two for quite a while.

Thanks for your thoughts you guys. I did ask yesterday if they'd break a bag up and they said no. We're not in farm country here. They don't accommodate in that way.

In hindsight, I would just get the chick starter and not concern myself with price or amount. This all unfolded the way it did because I forgot about getting feed for the customer's chicks with the first hatch and thought I'd improvise and then I hung to these 5 chicks only for a longer time than I thought I would and then it all became more work trying to get them to eat cause the Red River was not appealing to them. It would have been worth the $20 just to get the 20lb bag and I could've probably sold the remaining amount to my last customer. Can you tell this is my first year of hatching for others?

ANd I agree that the starter has ingredients in it they need from the start. Another lesson learned - sigh.

Another idea is sharing with a neighbour...I've been happy to help out someone who needed only an ice cream pail full of chick starter and wasn't really wanting to purchase a whole bag.

good that you decided to do the chick starter it is a must in my mind and yes you can sell the rest to the last buyer

Oh ya, buy the 20 kg bag. Sometimes when I have someone that is purchasing chicks, only like a couple, I offer a bag of chick starter (baggie I mean) to go with the chicks, cause I am pretty sure that for 2 or 3 chicks they are not going to go through alot of effort to get starter for them, this is judgement call. It is important to me that my chicks when they leave the farm are properly fed. You can tell who will feed properly and who will not. Have a wonderful day, CynthiaM.

Cindi, what an abhorrent avatar! That is not the image of have of you.

Thanks for the tip on sending them home with starter. I like it a lot. I will follow in your footsteps trailblazer.

ChicoryFarm wrote:Cindi, what an abhorrent avatar! That is not the image of have of you. .

Lol. I was just thinking the same thing. Snicker, snicker....

KatuskiFarms wrote:

ChicoryFarm wrote:Cindi, what an abhorrent avatar! That is not the image of have of you. .

Lol. I was just thinking the same thing. Snicker, snicker....

I like it! Nice to see sweet CynthiaM has a dark side!

I am smiling, yes for surely, welcome to the dark side, I say no more And you all thought I was that sweet lil' gal , just kidding. Have a wonderful day, CynthiaM.