Food Supplements

[Leonard4]

Should I be giving my ~one week old chicks something besides the medicated starter? When do they start eating veggies and such? I just read a post about scrambled eggs as well. TIA!

 

[ChickenCanoe]

Chick starter is blended to provide all 40+ nutrients chicks are known to need in the appropriate concentrations. They don't need any supplements. If you add anything, you will be upsetting the balance. I never offer anything else until they are outside foraging.
While things like veggies are nutritious in their own right, they are low in protein. Baby chicks have very small digestive systems. You want every bite they eat to have all the amino acids, vitamins, minerals, fats and energy necessary for optimal growth and immunity. Adding other things to the diet potentially slows growth and affect the immune system.
If you must supplement, there are two things I recommend.
Gro2Max, a probiotic powder formulated specifically for chickens which can be mixed with water or feed.
Nutri-Drench poultry formula is a blend of vitamins, minerals and a couple essential amino acids that gets into the blood stream in minutes. Dose in the water according to the ratio on the label based on age.
It would be nice but they don't really make a nutritionally complete human food.

 

[aart]

Chick starter is blended to provide all 40+ nutrients chicks are known to need in the appropriate concentrations. They don't need any supplements. If you add anything, you will be upsetting the balance. I never offer anything else until they are outside foraging.
While things like veggies are nutritious in their own right, they are low in protein. Baby chicks have very small digestive systems. You want every bite they eat to have all the amino acids, vitamins, minerals, fats and energy necessary for optimal growth and immunity.

Ditto Dat^^^x1000!

Chicken 'treats' are more for the human keepers than the birds.

 

[Leonard4]

Chick starter is blended to provide all 40+ nutrients chicks are known to need in the appropriate concentrations. They don't need any supplements. If you add anything, you will be upsetting the balance. I never offer anything else until they are outside foraging.
While things like veggies are nutritious in their own right, they are low in protein. Baby chicks have very small digestive systems. You want every bite they eat to have all the amino acids, vitamins, minerals, fats and energy necessary for optimal growth and immunity. Adding other things to the diet potentially slows growth and affect the immune system.
If you must supplement, there are two things I recommend.
Gro2Max, a probiotic powder formulated specifically for chickens which can be mixed with water or feed.
Nutri-Drench poultry formula is a blend of vitamins, minerals and a couple essential amino acids that gets into the blood stream in minutes. Dose in the water according to the ratio on the label based on age.
It would be nice but they don't really make a nutritionally complete human food.

Thank you! I was more curious than anything.

 

[ChickenCanoe]

Just in case you do offer anything else, they also need to have grit of the appropriate size for the age.
In fact, even though I only feed chick starter, I also provide grit because it helps develop the gizzard.

 

[aart]

Just in case you do offer anything else, they also need to have grit of the appropriate size for the age.
In fact, even though I only feed chick starter, I also provide grit because it helps develop the gizzard.

Ditto again^^^

http://www.jupefeeds-sa.com/documents/GraniteGrit.pdf.

I bought about a 2 gallon bag of granite grit from the local mill, they put it in their chicken scratch. Ran it thru a colander with 1/16" holes. Bagged the smaller stuff for the chicks and sprinkle some over a chunk of sod in the brooder during the second week.