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Domestic Poultry 131

When feeding young chickens, a chick starter ration should be fed until 6 weeks of age,
when they should be switched to a grower ration. Feed is available in dry mash, crumbles, and
pellets. Pellets are often too large for chicks and should be avoided. Mash is very palatable but
can be wasteful; chicks also tend to pick through the mash to ingest preferred grains (usually
corn), potentially leading to nutritional deficiencies. Crumbles ensure nutritional adequacy
and are usually small enough for even youngest chicks to easily ingest. If crumbles prove to be
too large for chicks to eat easily, mash should be fed instead. If no mash is available, crumbles
may be further pulverized by placing some crumbles into a resealable plastic freezer bag and
grinding with a rolling pin. At 18–20 weeks of age, a laying ration should be fed to both male
and female birds.
Young turkeys, pheasants, and quail have higher requirements for protein and calcium. These
birds should be fed game bird starter feed until 6–8 weeks of age. Ideally, game bird conditioner or
game bird developer ration should be fed thereafter until 16–20 weeks of age. A game bird layer
ration may be fed thereafter. Although game bird diets are generally well‐balanced nutritionally,
individual species can have different nutritional needs. It is advisable to use a mineral mix in
chicks’ water until their species and breed can be established, and then feed accordingly. Use min-
eral mixes specifically formulated for birds; consult your feed store on their available products and
follow instructions carefully.
An important exception to feeding game birds is the Japanese Quail. They reach sexual maturity
rapidly and may begin laying eggs as soon as 6 weeks of age. They should be fed a game bird starter
mash until 6 weeks of age. Game bird layer mash or crumbles should be fed thereafter.
Ducks and geese have their own feeds as well. Feed starter ration for the first 2 weeks, grower
until 8 weeks of age, developer until 20 weeks of age, and a maintenance or laying ration thereafter.
Waterfowl feeds are not as widely available as chicken and game bird feeds. Consult with knowl-
edgeable feed store personnel or feed manufacturer representatives about which feeds are appro-
priate in the absence of waterfowl feed. A good description of feed substitutions and additions
when waterfowl feed is not available can be found in Holderread (2011).
When raising young chickens with ducks and geese, an all‐purpose grower feed such as Purina
Mills® Flock Raiser® may be fed to all young birds up to 18–20 weeks of age. (This feed may also be
feed to turkeys after 8–10 weeks until 30–32 weeks.) However, it is vital that turkeys, pheasants,
and quail be fed a game bird starter until 8–10 weeks of age. It is equally important that young
chickens not be fed game bird starter, because this feed has excessive levels of calcium and protein,
which may lead to problems with maturation of the long bones. Because there are several feed
millers in the U.S. and their formulations or feeding programs may vary, consult the feed dealer for
recommendations on raising mixed flocks. Diets fed to diverse species may not meet the require-
ments of one or more of the species; hence, it is preferable to feed diets specific for the type of bird
being raised.
There are other considerations when selecting and feeding poultry diets. It is highly recom-
mended to feed a diet containing a coccidiostat such as amprolium. Coccidiosis is a protozoal
disease caused by species in the genus Eimeria, which inhabit the small intestine of most poul-
try. Coccidiosis is a leading cause of fatal diarrhea in young poultry. Coccidiostats prevent
Eimeria from undergoing its normal lifecycle in affected animals and are safe to use in even the
youngest chicks. They should be used until 16 weeks of age (Mississippi State University
Extension 2018). Feeding diets containing premixed coccidiostats is the easiest and safest
method to reduce or eliminate coccidiosis, because only FDA‐approved drugs are allowed in
feeds. Follow the feed manufacturer’s recommendations on drug withdrawal before consuming
meat or eggs.