Starter to Grower: When and How to Switch Feed

Somewhere around week five, you’ll look in the brooder and realize your fluffy chicks have turned into gangly, half-feathered teenagers. They’re eating more, scratching harder, and emptying the feeder faster than you thought possible. That’s usually the moment new keepers start wondering about the move from starter to grower feed, and whether they’re already late.

Good news: you’re not late, and this is one of the easiest parts of raising chicks. As part of the Settling In stage of our Getting Started journey, this guide covers what changes between the two feeds, when to switch, how to read the feed tag, and a simple week-long changeover plan.

What Actually Changes Between Starter and Grower Feed?

Starter feed is a complete ration built for the fastest growth period of a chick’s life. In the first few weeks, chicks are building bone, muscle, and an entire coat of feathers, so starter packs in more protein than any other stage. A typical chick starter contains about 18 to 20 percent protein, while a grower ration drops to roughly 15 to 18 percent.

By six weeks or so, that growth curve starts to flatten. Your birds are still growing, just more slowly, and they no longer need the protein push. Grower feed matches that slower pace, which helps pullets develop steadily instead of being rushed toward maturity. Grower is also usually a little cheaper per bag, which matters once your flock is eating like teenagers.

What stays the same

Calcium is the number people often assume changes here, but it doesn’t. Both starter and grower keep calcium low, usually around 1 percent. The big calcium jump comes later, when hens start laying and move to layer feed. If you want the full picture of every stage from hatch to laying hen, our guide on when to switch chicken feed at every life stage walks through all of them.

Crumbles, pellets, and form changes

Starter almost always comes as crumbles, because tiny beaks can’t manage pellets. Grower comes in crumbles, pellets, and sometimes micropellets. Many keepers use the grower switch as the moment to move toward pellets, since they waste less feed. Our article on feeding growing chickens with crumbles versus pellets explains the tradeoffs in more detail.

Feed stage	Typical age	Protein	Calcium	Common form
Starter	Hatch to 6-8 weeks	18-20%	About 1%	Crumbles
Grower	6-8 weeks to point of lay	15-18%	About 1%	Crumbles or pellets
Starter/grower combo	Hatch to point of lay	Usually 18-20%	About 1%	Crumbles
Layer	First egg onward	16-18%	3.5-4.5%	Pellets or crumbles

Ranges are commonly cited values and vary by manufacturer. Always follow the feeding directions on your bag.

When Should Chicks Switch to Grower Feed?

For standard laying breeds, the usual window to switch from starter to grower is 6 to 8 weeks of age. Some feed brands say 6 weeks, some say 8, and a few say 10. Those differences come from how each company formulates its rations, which is exactly why the bag’s own feeding directions should be your tiebreaker.

Age is the main signal, but your chicks will back it up. Around this time you’ll typically notice:

• Most of the fluffy down has been replaced by real feathers.
• They’re eating noticeably more each day and emptying the feeder faster.
• They’re outgrowing the brooder and may be ready for short outdoor field trips.
• Your starter bag is running low, which is a perfectly practical reason to plan the next purchase.

When in doubt, stay on starter a little longer. Switching late costs a bit more money; switching too early shortchanges chicks on protein they still need for feathering.

How to Read a Chicken Feed Label (and Why It Beats the Brand)

Walk into any farm store and you’ll see a wall of bags with farm scenes and happy hens on the front. The front is marketing. The facts live on the tag, usually a printed panel on the back or a paper label sewn into the seam. The feed tag’s guaranteed analysis tells you the minimum protein, fat, and phosphorus, the maximum fiber, and the calcium range, and those numbers matter more than the brand name.

The five things to check on every bag

1. Product name and stage. Look for “starter,” “grower,” or “starter/grower.” Some brands sell a single combo ration meant for hatch to point of lay (the age a pullet lays her first egg, often 16 to 24 weeks depending on breed). If you’re on a combo, there may be no switch to make at all.
2. Crude protein. Listed as a minimum percentage. This is the number that confirms you’re buying the right stage.
3. Calcium. Usually shown as a minimum and maximum. For chicks and growers it should sit near 1 percent. If you see 3.5 percent or higher, you’re holding layer feed.
4. Medicated or not. Medicated chick feeds say so on the front and list the active drug on the tag, most commonly amprolium, which helps control coccidiosis.
5. Feeding directions and mill date. The directions tell you the intended ages. The manufacture date tells you freshness, since vitamins in feed break down over time. Many keepers aim to use a bag within a few months of milling.

Once you can read a tag, you can shop any brand with confidence. Two bags with different logos and the same numbers are functionally the same feed for your chicks.

How to Switch from Starter to Grower Feed in 7 Days

Chickens are creatures of habit, and a sudden feed change can put some birds off their food or loosen droppings for a day or two. A gradual blend over 5 to 7 days lets chicks adjust to the new taste, texture, and nutrient mix without skipping meals. Here’s a simple schedule:

Days	Starter	Grower
Days 1-2	75%	25%
Days 3-4	50%	50%
Days 5-6	25%	75%
Day 7 on	0%	100%

Tips that make the switch smoother

• Mix the two feeds thoroughly in a bucket so chicks can’t pick out their favorite.
• If you’re moving from crumbles to pellets at the same time, stretch the blend to 10 days. Some birds are picky about texture.
• Keep fresh, clean water available at all times. Many keepers also add a vitamin supplement such as Chicken E-lixir from Hoover’s Hatchery to the waterer during changes, since it’s mixed into drinking water and includes vitamins and electrolytes.
• Watch appetite and droppings for the first few days. Mild changes are normal. A chick that stops eating or seems lethargic needs a closer look.

If you started your chicks with the Baby Chick Care Kit from Hoover’s Hatchery, note that its First Peep feed supplement is meant for the first few weeks of life. By the grower switch, most keepers have finished the pouch and move on to regular grower feed.

Medicated Feed, Meat Birds, and Mixed-Age Flocks

Medicated grower feed

Medicated grower feeds work the same way as medicated starter, most often using amprolium to help chicks build resistance to coccidiosis, an intestinal parasite that thrives in damp, dirty bedding. Whether you use it is a personal choice that depends on your setup and your chicks’ history. If your chicks were vaccinated for coccidiosis, check with your hatchery or vet before feeding medicated feed, because the medication can interfere with the vaccine. Learn more in Dr. Stock’s article on coccidiosis in chickens.

Meat birds follow a different plan

The starter-to-grower timeline above is for laying and dual-purpose breeds. Fast-growing broilers like Cornish Cross broilers from Hoover’s Hatchery are usually kept on a higher-protein meat bird or broiler ration, commonly around 20 to 22 percent protein, often with managed feeding times. Our guide to raising meat chickens from chick to freezer covers their feeding schedule step by step.

Mixed-age flocks

If your growing pullets will soon share space with laying hens, you have options. Many keepers feed the whole group a grower or “all flock” ration and offer oyster shell in a separate dish so layers can take extra calcium as needed. Growers mostly ignore it. Our article on why and how to feed oyster shells explains the setup.

Common Feed-Switch Mistakes to Avoid

• Switching to layer feed too early. Layer feed carries three to four times the calcium of grower. Feeding layer ration to young, non-laying birds for long periods can damage their kidneys, so wait until the first eggs appear or the birds are near point of lay.
• Going cold turkey. An abrupt change isn’t dangerous for most birds, but it can cause a few days of picky eating. The blend takes a week and removes the guesswork.
• Overdoing treats. Growing chicks love scraps and mealworms, but complete feed should make up the vast majority of their diet. A common rule of thumb is to keep treats to about 10 percent.
• Forgetting grit. Chicks eating only commercial feed don’t need grit, but once they get treats, grass, or bugs, offer chick-size grit so they can grind it.

Key takeaways

• Most laying-breed chicks move to grower between 6 and 8 weeks.
• Protein drops at the switch; calcium stays near 1 percent.
• Read the tag for stage, protein, calcium, medication, and mill date.
• Blend feeds over about a week, longer if the texture changes too.
• Meat birds and combo feeds follow their own rules.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I keep feeding starter feed after 8 weeks?

Yes. Staying on starter a few extra weeks is not harmful, because starter and grower both keep calcium low, around 1 percent. The main downside is cost, since higher-protein starter usually costs more per bag. If you’re using a starter/grower combo feed, the bag is designed to be fed all the way to point of lay.

Can chicks eat layer feed?

Chicks and young growers should not eat layer feed as their main diet. Layer rations contain roughly 3.5 to 4.5 percent calcium, which young birds cannot use and which can stress their kidneys over time. Keep chicks on starter or grower until the first eggs appear or the pullets are close to point of lay.

Is starter/grower feed the same as grower feed?

Not quite. A starter/grower is a single ration meant for chicks from hatch until they start laying, so no mid-point switch is needed. Its protein often sits around 18 to 20 percent. A dedicated grower usually runs lower, about 15 to 18 percent, and is meant to follow a separate starter.

Do chicks need grit when they switch to grower feed?

Only if they eat something besides commercial feed. Crumbles and pellets break down on their own, so grit is not needed for a feed-only diet. Once your growers get treats, grass, weeds, or bugs from outdoor time, offer chick-size or grower-size grit in a separate dish so their gizzards can grind that food.

What happens if I switch to grower feed too early?

Switching a week or so early is rarely a crisis, but very young chicks miss out on protein they need for feathering and fast growth. You might see slower feather development or smaller birds. If you switched early by mistake, move back to starter until the chicks are closer to 6 weeks, then transition gradually.

Switching from starter to grower is a small milestone, but it’s a sign your chicks are right on track. Read the tag, blend the feeds over a week, and you’ll have a flock ready for the next stage of the journey: bigger space, outdoor time, and eventually the coop.