Question about food/treats and water..

[whitneyy122]

Hi all! Im new to the chicken world and have a few questions. I have 13 chicks about 2.5 weeks old now.. I have them in the basement nice and toasty in their big brooder. They eat a TON of the starter chick food, although they do spill a decent amount onto the floor of their coop. Will they eat this food? I think i end up throwing a decent amount away...
Also, i have given them some treats including scrambled egg, a few dried meal worms and grapes with grit. They get so excited. I have heard mixed things about giving treats to chicks, but I dont really see the problem if they are eating plenty of their regular food.. Any thoughts? I want them to be happy, and theyre growing super fast.
Last thing is that they grt shavings/poop/etc in their water ALL the time. Any ideas on how to prevent this? I clean it and ten min later its a disaster...

Any thoughts are appreciated!

 

[sunflour]

If they are healthy and growing well, then I would not be concerned, except do limit the treats.

Raise the water fount up with wood, tiles or a pan or whatever you have so it is between their backs and their beaks and you'll see less poops in it.

If your feeder is also low, place something under it also, they love to scratch it out and if it is off the brooder floor you'll see less loss.

 

[whitneyy122]

Thanks! Idk why i didnt think of that!

 

[pmcont3]

We made a 45 degree roof over our food tray, raised it top chest height. Not much waste and no poop in it.