Feeding chicks

[its hilly]

I'm giving this lot chick crumb at the mo.
But i've forgotten how old before i swop to growers and i just know you'll all remind me please.
Also I give any chooks who are shut in for whatever reason fresh greens, usualy whatever Asda or whoever has 'whoopsed'. Spinach, spring greens, grapes (rare) etc. Just a small handful. But how old do chicks need to be before they can cope with it properly?

[di]

First question I was trying to remember myself...the stuff we've got here says 8~6 weeks,but I seem to remember 5 was the magic number?I shall also keep my eye on here to find out the general consensus.
As for the greens.I started Boo on finely chopped Dandelion leaves from day one...maybe two?The first lot I didn't & I was constantly cleaning pooey bums,until I read that a daily dose of them stops the need...whether it was a coincidence that the dirty bums stopped when the dandelions started,I don't know?But,Boo has never needed his() bum wiped!

[MaureenHall]

I think it's 6 weeks. I gauge it by the size and ability of the chick really, (and how much chick crumb I've got left!) I start mixing in a bit of growers round about 5 weeks till at about 6 and a half weeks they're onto growers and off chick crumb. I give Precious some layers mixed in with the crumb for the babies and I've seen her breaking up the pellets for them. Same with greens, offer it right from the first few days

[Snadger]

If you stop feeding crumb as soon as they come off heat you'll not be far wrong!

[Bramble-Poultry]

thats the usual rule of thumb we use too snadger turn off the heat switch to growers.

[its hilly]

Thanks folks, will start offering bitsa greens now then.
Errm....how fast do you reduce the heat? With the last lot they were hatched in that really hot spell, so the temp in the back room only dropped below 37 after three weeks, and then only at night.So it was a bit difficult. With these I'd like to get them away outside before ot gets too cold, so they can acclimatise properly, but dont want to go too fast.

[Bramble-Poultry]

Ok temp is steadily dropping at the moment so I would keep them on full temp until they are 50% feathered before dropping it down a level, then keep them like this for another week or so until they are nearly fully feathered, when they are fully feathered keep them on heat at night but off during the day then slowly bring the temp down over a couple for weeks so they are only on a low heat at night and then non at all - during this period you can also be aclimatising them to outside if the weather is nice by putting them out during the day - obvioulsy this can be done quicker if the weather stays as nice as it has been - if they have featehrs and you can walk around outside in a tshirt and be fine then they don;t need heat during the day! (this doesn;t work for mike who walks around in shorts and tshirt with 6ft of snow on the ground!)

[its hilly]

wont work for me either, lol. Pub chef for 20 years, so used to hot kitchens that I can wear a long sleeve rugby shirt n jeans on hot days and feel fine, when OH is in t-shirt, shorts and dripping. wait for me to feel warm in a t-shirt and the poor little beggers will have to move to Majorca.