[hulgrin]

Hi all , We are taking delivery of our first 2 chicks today ! They are only a few weeks old so I've had to purchase a heat lamp e.t.c. I've been told that they only need chick crumb to start with. Is this right ?? I've read on here that they need to stay under the heatlamp till they are about 7-8 weeks old to. At what age should they be given grit and normal pellets ? So many questions the more I think about it the more confused I'm getting !  Any advise as to the stages of there feeding/ housing much appreciated 

[joyfull]

yes chick crumb has all the nutrients that they need, then they go onto rearers (or growers), this again has everything they need. At about 16 weeks start to change them over to layers pellets.
keep your chicks under the heat lamp as advised but make sure that they can move away from it if they are too hot.

[hulgrin]

Thank's Joyfull  At what age should I change them over to rearers ? Is it better to leave the chicks under the lamp too long than to take them out too early ? I was looking at about 8 weeks old ? Also the grit ? Should they only have grit available with the layers pellets ? Sorry for all the questions but i dont want to be harming them in any way 

[joyfull]

start changing them over onto growers/rearers at 6 - 8 weeks, but di it gradually over a period of 7 days to stop them getting upset tums.
As for heat lamps I would gradually wean them off it by raising the hight of the lamp. Before letting them outside you will have to consider the outside temperature. This is not something I have had to consider myself as I have always used a broody hen. Perhaps somebody else could advise on the heatlamp.

[hulgrin]

Thanks Joyfull, that's brilliant  This forum is awesome