Short answer: Grower feed carries a layer pullet from about 8 weeks to 18 and builds the frame, the gut and the reproductive system she will need for lay. It is not a fattening feed, and a pullet that gets heavy too early lays late and small. Weigh a sample of birds every week, check that the flock is even, and move to layer feed on the weights rather than the calendar.
Key takeaways
- Grower feed builds frame and reproductive system, so do not treat it as a fattening ration.
- Weigh about 10 per cent of the flock every week, at the same time of day, on the same scale.
- Aim for at least 80 per cent of the birds within 10 per cent either side of the flock average.
- If you limit feed, weigh the amount and check the trough every morning.
- Move to layer feed on the weights and the lighting plan, usually around 16 to 18 weeks.
What the grower phase is building
Between eight and eighteen weeks a pullet does a great deal of growing that nobody sees. Her skeleton fills out, her frame gets long and deep enough to carry eggs, and her ovary and oviduct grow from a thread into a working system. The feed she eats in those weeks is the raw material for all of it.
That is why grower feed is not a fattening feed. Protein and amino acids build tissue. Energy has to be kept in balance, so she does not lay down fat over her abdomen. Calcium sits lower than in layer feed, because a young pullet cannot use the extra, and too much of it puts strain on the kidneys. A pullet that grows fast and fat through these weeks often reaches lay late, lays small eggs at first, and struggles to hold production at peak.
Weigh 10 per cent of the flock every week
A pullet's weight is the best guide you have, and your eyes are poor at judging it through feathers. Every week, pick up about one bird in ten, weigh each one on the same scale at the same time of day, and write the figures down. Choose the birds at random from different parts of the house, not only the ones that are easy to catch near the door.
Compare the average with your breeder's target weight chart for the strain. The chart is the reference, not a figure from another farm or from memory. A flock weighed the same way every week tells a story that one big weigh-in cannot, so keep the sheet on the wall beside the feed record. Note whether the flock is above or below the line and by how much. A flock that stays below target for several weeks needs a look at feed amount, feeder space and disease, and your vet should hear about it.
Why evenness matters more than the average
An average can look fine while half the flock is too small and half is too big. Uniformity tells you whether the flock is growing together. The usual check is whether at least 80 per cent of the birds sit within 10 per cent either side of the flock average.
Here is a worked check. Weigh 20 pullets, and say the average is 1,200 grams. Your window runs from 1,080 grams to 1,320 grams. If 17 of the 20 birds fall inside it, you have 85 per cent uniformity, and the flock is even enough to carry on. If only 12 fall inside it, you have a sorting problem. The big birds are taking the feed, the small ones are being pushed off the feeder, or the flock is too crowded to share. The fix is usually more feeder space, a better spread across the house, and a separate pen for the smallest birds until they catch up.
What to do week by week
Use this as the spine of the rearing period. The weights come from your breeder's chart, and the actions come from what you see in the house.
| Age | What the pullet is doing | What you check | What you do |
|---|---|---|---|
| 8 to 10 weeks | Steady growth after the brooder | Weekly weights and feeder spread | Keep grower feed in front of every bird, with enough feeder space |
| 11 to 13 weeks | Frame and gut development | Uniformity and the smallest birds | Sort out the lightest birds and give them room to feed |
| 14 to 16 weeks | Reproductive development | Weight against the chart and body condition by hand | Limit feed if the flock is running ahead of target |
| 17 to 18 weeks | Build-up toward the first eggs | Weight, uniformity and the lighting plan | Start the change to layer feed when the weights and lights say so |
Limiting feed without starving the flock
Many commercial pullet houses limit the feed each bird gets, because a bird with unlimited access to grower feed eats more than she needs and gets fat. On a smaller farm you can do the same. Work out the amount per bird for the week from the chart, measure it into the feeder, and check the trough the next morning. A clean trough means the flock is getting about the right amount. Feed left behind means too much.
The danger is the opposite. Pullets that run out of feed in the afternoon chase each other, peck at feathers and grow unevenly. If you limit, limit the amount, not the number of feeding times. Feeders need enough space for the birds to eat at the same time, or the strong ones will always win. Write down the amount per day, every day. It is the only way to know later whether a change worked. For the feather side of this, see cannibalism and feather pecking in poultry.
Rearing pullets through a Ghanaian year
A pullet reared through the harmattan spends her grower weeks in the driest, dustiest air of the year. Dust gets into the house, and the birds breathe it. Cold nights make them eat more to stay warm, and the litter dries out and turns dusty. Expect the feed to disappear faster and the weights to lag for a week or two in the coldest spell. Keep the cold side of the house closed, but not so tight that the air turns sour.
A pullet reared in the rains has the opposite problem. Wet litter and humidity raise the coccidiosis risk, and damp feed picks up mould quickly. Keep grower feed in dry, covered bins, and walk the floor after every heavy rain to check for pooling water. The disease side is covered in coccidiosis in chickens.
When to switch to layer feed
The switch comes when the pullets are close to lay, not on a date you circled on the calendar. Look at three things together: the weight against the chart, the uniformity, and the lighting programme in the house. A flock that is under target should not be pushed onto layer feed early, because layer feed carries more calcium and will not build the frame she is missing. The ration that follows is covered in our layer feeding guide. A flock that is ahead of target can change a week or two sooner, as long as it is even.
Change over four to five days. Add a little more layer feed each day until the flock is on full layer feed, and watch the trough. A sudden drop in intake is the signal to slow down. The first eggs usually come a few weeks after the switch. If you are still deciding whether to rear your own pullets or buy them ready to lay, read our point-of-lay pullets guide.
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A worked cost for a 200-pullet rearing
Say you rear 200 pullets from eight weeks to eighteen. For this example, assume each pullet eats 6 kilograms of grower feed across that period. That number is an assumption, so check it against your breeder's programme. The flock eats 1,200 kilograms in total. At an illustrative GH₵7.90 a kilogram, that is GH₵9,480 of feed.
If 3 per cent of the birds die, 194 pullets are left to go into the layer house. The feed bill has not changed, so each surviving pullet has cost you GH₵48.87 in grower feed alone. Compare that with a Hy-Line Brown day-old chick, which our list puts at GH₵23 from. The feed you pay to rear her costs about twice the chick, which is why feed waste and weight control in these weeks matter so much. For how the feed number flows into the wider cost of a laying flock, see working out feed cost per egg and per bird.
Mistakes that delay the first egg
- Letting the flock get fat in the middle weeks, because the feeder is always full and nobody weighs anything.
- Switching to layer feed on a fixed date while the flock is still well under target.
- Mixing grower feed with leftover starter, so the protein moves around without any plan.
- Keeping the smallest birds with the strongest, so they never catch up.
- Storing grower feed in a damp corner until the bags sour.
Each of these looks minor in a single week. Over ten weeks they decide whether the flock comes into lay on time, and whether the first eggs are big enough to sell.
Weekly pullet checklist
- Weigh 10 per cent of the flock at the same time and on the same scale, and write the average down.
- Work out the uniformity figure, and note how many birds fall outside the 10 per cent window.
- Compare the average with the breeder's chart, and note the gap.
- Check the trough each morning, and record how much feed was left.
- Walk the house for wet litter, crowding at the feeders and birds that are hanging back.
- Check the lighting plan against the age, and write down any change you made.
If you buy your chicks from us, our layer day-old chicks page explains the strains we supply, and you can place an order through the order form. For help with the breed choice, see our breeds page.
Questions farmers ask
What is grower feed for pullets?
Grower feed is the ration for layer pullets from about eight weeks until the change to layer feed, usually around sixteen to eighteen weeks. It has less energy and less calcium than layer feed, and more protein than an adult hen needs. That lets the pullet build her frame and reproductive system without laying down too much fat. It is not a fattening feed, and it is not the same as the starter or the layer mash.
How often should I weigh pullets?
Weekly is the minimum. Weigh about 10 per cent of the flock at the same time each week, on the same scale, and record both the average and the range. Weigh the smallest birds as well as the middle of the flock. If the trend goes the wrong way for two weeks in a row, change something in the feeding or the house, and tell your vet.
What does uniformity mean in a pullet flock?
Uniformity is how close the birds are to the flock average. A common check is whether at least 80 per cent of the birds sit within 10 per cent either side of the average weight. A flock with a good average but poor uniformity usually has a feeder-space or sorting problem rather than a feed problem.
When should I switch pullets to layer feed?
Switch when the flock is close to point of lay and the weights are at target, usually between 16 and 18 weeks depending on the strain and the lighting in the house. Change over four to five days. Do not switch early just because the calendar says so, and do not hold back a flock that is ahead of its chart.
Can I limit grower feed to stop pullets getting fat?
Yes. Work out the amount per bird from the breeder's chart and measure it out. Check the trough each morning. If the flock leaves feed behind, you are giving too much. If the trough is empty by noon and the birds are fighting, you are giving too little, or the feeders are too few for the flock.
Why are my pullets slow to lay after the switch?
The usual causes are weight below target at transfer, a sudden change of feed, too little light, or disease. Check the weights first. Then look at the house lighting and the daily feed intake. If the flock is still quiet a few weeks after the change, ask your vet to rule out disease before you change anything else.
