Good treats for baby chicks?

[CannedMonster]

are the dried up meal worms any good for them or must they be alive?

I give them to mine but I’d wait til they’re a couple of weeks old first.

 

[kriz the farmer]

banana are fav of my chicks

 

[Kirk-a-doodle-doo]

I have offered my chicks (7 weeks old) treats like yogurt, strawberries, blueberries, spinach and even Jerusalem crickets that I find in the garden. They always run away screaming or just let the fruit wilt. They got nuts over blades of grass though. All they want right now is grass.

 

[CannedMonster]

I have offered my chicks (7 weeks old) treats like yogurt, strawberries, blueberries, spinach and even Jerusalem crickets that I find in the garden. They always run away screaming or just let the fruit wilt. They got nuts over blades of grass though. All they want right now is grass.

I recently integrated a new chick (7 weeks) to my flock of 7 ten week olds.
The new chick won’t eat grass, it’s like she doesn’t know what it is.

I’ve learned you have to start early!
And break things up into extremely tiny pieces!
I began giving my chicks plugs of sod at 1 week to 10 days old.
It really helped that I had males in my little brood because they are more adventurous and willing to check out new things.
I patiently sat with them each day and would use my hand as a “mother” showing them the grass or food, breaking it into smaller pieces and eventually they’d try it or I would leave it in the brooder and they would try it out of sheer boredom later.
You can pick them up one at a time and practice holding them and feed them so they get used to you and trust you.
Also, because I didn’t want them getting tons of bedding in their treats, I bought a shallow terra cotta plant saucer at the store and I’d put the treats on it.
They have learned to enjoy many things and to trust me.
Now at 10 weeks I can walk out there with anything, just about, and they will at least try it.

Starting early is key!
And having a brooder set up in such a way that you’re not reaching down on them helps them to not get so scared.
I hate that so many brooders force you to do something that scares the crud out of them.

 

[Kayla's Lunch]

In one of the posts, someone mentioned baby chicks choking. I couldn't find anything else about that. My chicks are almost 3 weeks old. How small do things have to be chopped? I'm concerned about the sizeof things. I have been pureeing some food scraps (celery, strawberries, apples, kefir) and putting some of their chick starter in it. I let them peck at a strawberry, and a couple did and got a little piece and ran and chased each other over it. I have been giving them a little parakeet grit. I hope that is good enough for them for now.

Thanks,
Trish

 

[MyCuteCoop]

Hi! My chicks honestly didn’t like blackberries or grapes.

 

[Blooie]

I figure Mom isn't out there chopping stuff up, peeling, de-seeding, or breaking off bits and pieces for them, so I'm not going to either.

 

[Mountainmamasweetchicks]

How soon Can you give chicks boiled eggs?when do you give them probiotics?

 

[Mountainmamasweetchicks]

How soon Can you give chicks boiled eggs?when do you give them probiotics?

I put a perch in my brooder after 3 days, I just used a half inch dowel because I had it in the scrap wood pile but any natural branck off a tree should work as well, probably better because the dowel is so slick, a branch with bark would give them more grip. My peeps are now 12 days old and today I put a chunk of firewood and a medium small branch in their newer larger brooder box along with the perch and they love it. I have one golden comet that had pasty butt when we got her so she is a little smaller then the rest of the other 5 birds, she has learned that when the others get playing the only place she is safe is on the perch. I read to get them on the perch as young as possible, it's good for their health and it's easier to start them on it when they are young and will still listen to mom and dad.

 

[Mountainmamasweetchicks]

Hi, I put a small log (2") on a wooden block on each end and my chicks that I got 7 days ago love it! They even fall asleep on it and look like they are dead. They seem older than one week old. But then this is my first batch of chicks.