Chick Starter Feed in the Philippines: What to Look For

TL;DR: Starter is a complete ration in fine crumble form for the first weeks — the highest-stakes feed you buy, because the first weeks decide the bird. Read the feed tag for what it is formulated for and until what age. Medicated usually means a coccidiostat, and whether it suits your chicks depends on what they were vaccinated for — ask your agrivet rather than defaulting. Store it sealed, dry and use it fresh: mouldy feed is dangerous, and chicks have the least tolerance for anything wrong.

Everything you spend later is spent on the bird these weeks produce.

What Starter Feed Is

A complete ration — meaning it is designed to be the whole diet, with no supplementation needed — formulated for the growth rate and nutrient demands of a chick, and milled into a fine crumble small birds can pick up and swallow.

It sits at the start of the standard sequence:

Stage	Ration
Chick	Starter
Growing bird	Grower — see growing pullets
Bird in lay	Layer — see best layer feed

Our types of chicken feed guide explains what separates them, and the rule that matters most: never give layer ration to chicks, because the calcium in it is there for eggshells and harms growing birds.

Read the Feed Tag

The bag front is marketing. The tag is the specification, and it is what to compare between brands.

Look for:

What class of bird it is for. Chick starter, broiler starter and gamefowl starter are not always the same product.
Protein level. Compare like with like across brands.
Whether it is medicated, and with what.
The age range it is intended for, and when to switch to grower.
Manufacture or expiry date. Feed does not improve on the shelf, and in Philippine humidity old stock is a real risk.

If the tag is unclear or missing, ask the agrivet. A supplier who cannot tell you what a feed is formulated for is not a supplier to buy your most important bag from.

Medicated vs Unmedicated

Medicated starter usually contains a coccidiostat — a medication aimed at controlling coccidiosis, which is one of the major killers of young birds.

The decision is not a default in either direction, and it depends on:

Whether your chicks were vaccinated against coccidiosis. A coccidiosis vaccine works by exposing the bird to a controlled dose so it builds immunity, and a medicated feed can interfere with that. Ask your chick supplier what was given — see where to buy day-old chicks and chick vaccination schedule.
Your setup. Brooding conditions, litter management and history on the property all affect the risk.
Withdrawal considerations, if the birds are for meat.

Ask your agrivet or veterinarian, and read the tag. This guide names no medication and gives no dose — that decision belongs to someone who knows what your chicks have had.

Crumble Size and Waste

Under-discussed and genuinely important.

Starter is milled fine because a day-old chick has a small beak. A crumble that is too coarse is picked at, dropped and wasted, and the chicks eat less than you think they are eating.

Practical points:

Check the texture of the bag before feeding it to very young chicks. Sifting out the finest material for the first days is a reasonable step if the crumble looks coarse.
Shallow feeders, easy access, at the cool end of the brooder — see chick feeding schedule.
Do not overfill. Chicks scratch feed out enthusiastically.
Clean feeders daily. Fouled feed is both waste and a hygiene problem.
Pellets are not a substitute at this age.

Storage: Higher Stakes Than for Adult Feed

Chicks have the least tolerance of any bird for a feed problem.

Sealed container, metal or hard plastic. Not the open sack.
Off the floor, cool, dry, out of the sun.
Buy quantities you will use quickly. A month-old opened sack in a humid Philippine backyard is not the feed you bought.
Discard anything musty, caked or discoloured. Mouldy feed must never be fed — see what not to feed chickens.
Rats. They chew sacks and foul what they do not eat.

What Not to Add

The starter is complete. Adding to it makes it less complete.

No scraps or treats in the first weeks — see kitchen scraps for chickens.
No grain, which chicks fill up on instead of the ration.
No calcium supplement. That is for laying hens and it harms growing birds — see calcium for laying hens.
No grit needed while they are on crumble alone; it becomes relevant when they eat anything unground — see grit for chickens.
Vitamins and electrolytes only for a reason — arrival, heat, stress — and per the label. See electrolytes for chickens.

Water matters as much as feed. Clean, always available, in a drinker a chick cannot drown in, offered before feed on arrival.

The Honest Limits Here

That starter is a complete crumbled ration for the first weeks, that medicated starters commonly contain a coccidiostat, and that layer ration must not be fed to growing birds, are standard poultry nutrition. This guide names no brands, quotes no prices, gives no protein percentages and names no medication, because formulations and pricing differ between manufacturers and the feed tag is the authority for the bag in front of you. Whether to use medicated feed depends on your chicks’ vaccination status and your setup — ask your agrivet or veterinarian.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is chick starter feed?

A complete ration formulated for the first weeks of a chicks life, sold as a fine crumble so small birds can eat it. It is the highest-protein ration in the normal feeding sequence.

What does medicated starter feed mean?

It contains a medication, most commonly a coccidiostat aimed at controlling coccidiosis in young birds. Whether it suits your chicks depends on what else they have had, including vaccination, so read the tag and ask your agrivet.

Should I use medicated or unmedicated starter?

That is a decision to make with your agrivet or veterinarian based on your setup and on whether the chicks were vaccinated against coccidiosis. It is not a default choice either way.

How long do chicks stay on starter feed?

Until the age the feed bag specifies, then onto grower. Manufacturers formulate their own sequences, so the bag is the instruction rather than any general figure.

Does crumble size matter?

Yes. A crumble that is too coarse for very young chicks is eaten poorly and wasted. Starter is milled fine for a reason, and pellets are not a substitute at this age.

Can I feed starter to older birds?

It is not intended for them and it is an expensive way to feed adults. More importantly, never feed layer ration to chicks — the reverse mistake is the harmful one.

How should starter feed be stored?

Sealed, off the floor, cool and dry, and used well within its shelf life. Feed spoils fastest in humidity, and mouldy feed must never be given to chicks.