Chick Feeding Schedule: Week 1 to Week 6
TL;DR: Water first, then feed. Chick starter crumble, available free-choice, from day one — never let the feeder run empty in the first weeks. Never give layer feed to a growing bird: the calcium is there for shells and it damages birds that are not laying. Skip scraps and treats early; they dilute a ration the chick needs whole. Move to grower ration at the age on the bag, then to layer only at point of lay.
The brooder is where most keepers lose chicks, and heat gets the blame. Feed and water do a share of the killing too, mostly through simple omissions.
Day One: Water Before Feed
Newly arrived chicks — especially shipped ones — are often dehydrated. Standard practice is to let them drink before they eat.
- Have water in the brooder, at brooder temperature, before the chicks go in.
- Show them where it is. Dip the beak of two or three chicks into the water; the rest follow.
- Use a shallow drinker or add clean pebbles or marbles to a deeper one. Chicks drown in surprisingly little water.
- Put water at the cooler end of the brooder, away from the heat source.
- Change it whenever it is fouled, which will be often.
Then put the feed down.
What to Feed
Chick starter crumble is the simple, reliable answer for the first phase. It is formulated for the protein and nutrient requirements of a growing chick and it needs no supplementation to work.
The stages, in order:
| Stage | Ration | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Chick | Starter | Crumble form; free-choice; from day one |
| Growing | Grower | Switch at the age on the bag; lower protein than starter |
| Pullet approaching lay | Grower until point of lay | See growing pullets |
| In lay | Layer | Only once laying starts — see point of lay |
Our types of chicken feed guide explains what separates these rations, and what to feed chickens at every life stage covers the whole sequence.
Follow the feed bag for the switch ages. Manufacturers formulate their own ration sequences and the bag is the instruction, not a general article.
The One Rule That Is Absolute
Never feed layer ration to chicks or growing birds.
Layer feed carries high calcium because a laying hen is producing an eggshell every day or so. A bird that is not laying has no use for that calcium and no good way to handle the excess, and feeding it to growing birds is harmful.
This is the single most common serious feeding mistake in backyard flocks — usually made by a keeper with one sack of feed and a mixed-age flock. If your birds are mixed ages, feed the grower ration to everyone and offer calcium separately for the layers, as covered in oyster shell and grit and calcium for laying hens.
How to Feed
- Free-choice, always available. Chicks eat little and often; an empty feeder is lost growth.
- Multiple feeding points so no chick is crowded out.
- Feeders they cannot scratch out or stand in. Feed on wet bedding is wasted feed and a hygiene problem.
- Do not fill the feeder to the brim. Chicks bill feed out; shallow fills waste less.
- Clean feeders and drinkers daily. Warm, damp, fouled feed grows things you do not want.
- Feed at the cooler end of the brooder, with the heat at the other.
What Not to Give in the First Weeks
- Kitchen scraps. They dilute a balanced ration at the exact stage where balance matters most. See kitchen scraps for chickens for when they become reasonable.
- Treats and scratch grain. Same reason. A chick that fills up on maize is not eating its starter.
- Anything from the what not to feed chickens list, at any age.
- Medicated feed without knowing what the medication is. Some starter rations are medicated against coccidiosis. Read the bag and ask your agrivet whether it is appropriate — particularly if your chicks were vaccinated against coccidiosis.
Grit: chicks on commercial crumble alone do not need it, because there is nothing to grind. It becomes relevant when they start eating grains, greens or anything foraged — see grit for chickens.
Watching Whether It Is Working
The feed is doing its job if:
- Crops are full at night — feel gently for a soft, full crop at roosting time. Empty crops in the evening mean chicks are not finding feed or water.
- Chicks are active, growing visibly week to week, and feathering.
- Droppings look normal and formed.
Warning signs to act on:
- Pasty vent — droppings stuck around the vent, blocking it. Clean gently with warm water; it is common in the first days and it kills if ignored. See sick chick symptoms.
- Chicks not eating — check they can reach the feeder, check the brooder is not too hot, check the water.
- Watery or bloody droppings — see coccidiosis and get advice.
- Uneven growth — some chicks much smaller. Usually crowding at the feeders, sometimes disease.
Our chick mortality causes guide covers the first two weeks in full.
The Honest Limits Here
The water-before-feed practice, free-choice starter feeding, the starter-grower-layer sequence, and the rule against feeding high-calcium layer ration to growing birds are standard poultry husbandry. This guide gives no protein percentages, no feed quantities per bird and no switch ages in weeks, because those belong to the specific ration in front of you — manufacturers formulate their own sequences and the bag is the authority. It also names no feed brands and no prices. Ask your agrivet if the bag is unclear.
Related: how to brood chicks, chick starter feed in the Philippines, types of chicken feed, growing pullets.
Frequently Asked Questions
What should day-old chicks eat?
A commercial chick starter crumble, available free-choice from the moment they are settled. Starter rations are formulated for the protein and nutrient needs of the first weeks and are the simplest reliable option.
Should chicks get water or feed first?
Water first. Newly arrived chicks are often dehydrated from travel, and letting them drink before they eat is standard hatchery practice. Show them the water by dipping a beak or two.
How often should chicks be fed?
Free-choice — feed available at all times rather than at set meals. Chicks eat little and often, and an empty feeder in the first weeks costs growth you do not get back.
When do chicks move off starter feed?
Onto a grower ration at around the end of the starter phase, typically several weeks in. The exact age is on the feed bag, which is the instruction that matters more than any general figure.
Can chicks eat layer feed?
No. Layer feed contains high calcium for shell formation, and high calcium is harmful to growing birds whose kidneys are not handling it for that purpose. Never feed layer ration to chicks or growers.
Can I give chicks kitchen scraps?
Not in the first weeks. Chicks need a balanced ration to grow properly, and scraps dilute it. Treats and scraps belong later, and even then only in small amounts.
Why do chicks need grit?
Chicks on commercial crumble alone do not need grit, since the feed needs no grinding. Grit becomes relevant once they eat grains, greens or anything foraged.