Types of Chicken Feed: Starter to Breeder Explained
TL;DR: Chicken feed comes in six main types — starter (21-24% protein), grower (18-20%), developer/maintenance (15-18%), layer (18-20% + added calcium), and breeder (16-20% depending on sex) — plus three physical forms: mash, crumble, and pellet. Younger birds generally eat mash or crumble; older birds move to pellet. Matching both the type and the form to the bird’s actual stage matters more than picking a specific brand.
Walk into any Philippine agrivet store and the feed sacks alone can be confusing — starter, grower, layer, breeder, pellet, crumble, mash, each labeled with a percentage that means little without context. This guide breaks down what each type is actually for, so the label on the sack makes sense before you buy it.
The protein ranges below match what ManokHub’s existing feeding guides already document for chick-to-adult feeding — this article organizes that same information around the feed type rather than the bird’s age, and adds feed form (mash, crumble, pellet) into the picture.
What Are the Main Types of Chicken Feed?
The six feed types below cover essentially every commercial chicken ration on the market, distinguished mainly by crude protein level and what life stage or production role they’re built for.
| Feed type | Crude protein | Built for | Typical age/stage |
|---|---|---|---|
| Starter (chick booster) | 21-24% | Fastest early growth | Day 1 to 4 weeks |
| Grower | 18-20% | Continued growth, feathering | 4-8 weeks |
| Developer | 16-18% | Bone and muscle development | 8-16 weeks |
| Maintenance | 15-17% | Holding steady adult condition | 16 weeks+, non-laying |
| Layer | 18-20% + added calcium | Egg production and shell strength | Point of lay onward |
| Breeder | 16-18% (cocks), 18-20% (hens) | Fertility, hatchability, egg quality | Active breeding season |
Source for these bands: ManokHub’s 6-stage gamefowl feeding guide and feed brand comparison, which document the same starter-to-maintenance protein progression. For the age-by-age feeding schedule these map to, see what to feed chickens at every stage.
What Is Starter Feed?
Starter feed — sometimes labeled chick booster — is the highest-protein feed a chicken ever eats, typically 21-24% crude protein, formulated for day-old chicks through roughly 4 weeks. It’s built to support the fastest growth window in a chicken’s life, and it’s usually fed ad libitum (unlimited access) rather than in measured portions.
What Is Grower Feed?
Grower feed steps protein down to 18-20% for birds roughly 4-8 weeks old, once the very earliest growth spurt has passed but the bird is still developing muscle and feathers quickly. Many keepers continue ad libitum feeding here, though some switch to controlled feeding 2-3 times daily to keep growth steady rather than excessive.
What Is Developer Feed?
Developer feed sits at 16-18% protein, aimed at birds roughly 8-16 weeks old that are building bone structure and adult body mass rather than growing as fast as they did as chicks. Twice-daily, measured feeding typically starts here — free access at this stage tends to produce a bird that’s overweight before it’s even reached maturity.
What Is Maintenance Feed?
Maintenance feed is the lowest-protein ration in regular use, 15-17%, meant for non-laying adults that just need to hold steady body condition. Feeding a maintenance-level bird anything higher just adds fat with no upside — this is the feed type most often mismatched in backyard flocks, where a keeper keeps a grower-level feed going out of habit long after the bird has matured.
What Is Layer Feed?
Layer feed carries 18-20% protein — matching the higher-protein band ManokHub’s feeding guide documents for actively laying hens — plus a substantially higher calcium level than any other feed type, since eggshell formation draws heavily on a hen’s calcium reserves. A hen switched to layer feed too late, or kept on maintenance feed after she starts laying, commonly shows it in thin or soft-shelled eggs before anything else.
What Is Breeder Feed?
Breeder feed is formulated differently by sex. Breeder hens need higher protein (18-20%) plus strong calcium for egg and shell quality during active breeding. Breeder cocks need more moderate protein (16-18%) with attention to vitamin E, which supports fertility rather than growth. Breeder feed is a seasonal ration — most keepers only feed it during an active breeding cycle, not year-round.
Mash vs Crumble vs Pellet: Which Form Is Right for Which Age?
Feed form is a separate question from feed type — the same 18-20% grower ration can come as mash, crumble, or pellet, and the right form depends mostly on the bird’s age and how efficiently it can eat larger pieces.
- Mash is unprocessed, ground feed with no compression — the loosest, finest form. It’s easy for very young chicks to eat but wastes more (birds can billboard it out of the feeder) and settles unevenly, so nutrients can separate out over time if the mash sits too long.
- Crumble is a coarsely broken pellet — roughly pellet-sized ingredients compressed and then crumbled into smaller pieces. This is the common form for starter and grower feed, since it’s easier for a young bird to pick up than a full-size pellet but wastes less than mash. ManokHub’s brand-by-brand feed comparison documents crumble as the standard form across starter and early-grower products from multiple Philippine brands.
- Pellet is fully compressed, uniform feed — the standard form from the developer stage onward. Pellets waste the least, keep the nutrient mix from separating, and let an older bird eat efficiently. The same source guide shows pellet as the standard maintenance and conditioning-phase form once birds reach roughly 5-6 months.
The general pattern: younger birds eat mash or crumble, older birds eat pellet. A bird switched too early to full pellets may struggle to eat efficiently; a bird kept on crumble long after it should have moved to pellet just wastes more feed than necessary.
What’s the Difference Between Feed Type and Feed Form?
Feed type (starter, grower, layer, and so on) is about the nutrient formula — protein, calcium, vitamins — matched to a life stage or production role. Feed form (mash, crumble, pellet) is about the physical shape the same formula comes in. A sack labeled “starter crumble” tells you both: 21-24% protein starter formula, in crumble form for a young bird’s beak.
Mixing these up is a common source of confusion at the agrivet counter — asking for “pellet feed” without specifying starter, grower, or layer gets you a form, not a formula, and the clerk may hand you whichever pellet product happens to be in stock rather than the one matched to your bird’s actual stage.
The Honest Limits Here
The protein-by-type numbers here are drawn from ManokHub’s own feeding research on gamefowl-specific and general poultry products sold in the Philippines, and the underlying biology applies to any chicken. Exact formulations vary by manufacturer and change over time as ingredient costs shift, so treat the ranges here as a buying framework, not a guarantee of any specific bag’s label. Always check the actual guaranteed analysis printed on the sack you buy.
For the age-by-age feeding schedule these feed types map to, see what to feed chickens at every stage. For named brands and current product lines, see the gamefowl feeding guide brand comparison and best gamefowl feed in the Philippines. For what goes into a feed rather than what comes out of the sack — and why protein is the expensive part — see protein sources for chicken feed.
Frequently Asked Questions
What are the main types of chicken feed?
Starter, grower, developer, maintenance, layer, and breeder feed — each matched to a specific life stage or production goal, with crude protein ranging from about 15% (maintenance) to 24% (starter).
What is the difference between starter, grower, and finisher feed?
Starter feed (21-24% protein) is for the first weeks of life, grower feed (18-20%) covers the growth phase after that, and finisher-type feed brings protein back down toward the developer range as the bird nears its target weight or maturity.
What is the difference between mash, crumble, and pellet feed?
Mash is unprocessed ground feed, crumble is a coarsely broken pellet sized for younger birds, and pellet is a compressed, uniform form typically used from the grower stage onward because it wastes less and is easier for an older bird to eat quickly.
What feed should I give a laying hen?
Layer feed, which carries higher protein (around 18-20%) and significantly more added calcium than a maintenance ration, to support both egg output and shell strength.
Do chicks need crumble or pellet feed?
Chicks generally start on mash or fine crumble because the small particle size is easier for them to eat, then move to a coarser crumble or small pellet as they grow past the first few weeks.
What is breeder feed and who needs it?
Breeder feed is formulated for hens and cocks actively producing eggs or siring chicks — higher protein and calcium for hens for eggshell and yolk quality, and adequate protein plus vitamin E for cocks to support fertility.
Can I use grower feed instead of layer feed for a hen that just started laying?
Not ideally — grower feed lacks the calcium level a laying hen needs, and low calcium intake shows up as thin or soft-shelled eggs. Switch to a layer or breeder-hen formulation once a hen reaches point of lay.