Supplemental Food

[jgaepi]

What is the timeline for adding in supplemental food and treats for chicks. I just received mine and I assume they are between 2-3 days old. They are actively stomping around on the medicated sure start formula and seem interested. When should I add in a little chick grit. When can I start to give them greens? I also heard about giving them hard boiled eggs. Is there a general timeline for this stuff? Thanks.

 

[CarolJ]

I'm no expert, but I've read a lot here. The chick food includes everything they need. So no grit is needed until they start eating things besides the chick food. I think scrambled eggs are fine at any age. I have waited until they're at least a week or two old to start giving them bits and pieces of fruit, veggies or lettuce. That's when I provide chick grit, too. Hopefully others with more experience will chime in.

 

[Ariel301]

You can give them treats right from the start. Just don't make it a complete diet unless you're knowledgeable enough about nutrition to be sure its a balanced diet. Fruit and vegetables, yogurt, oatmeal, crushed whole grains, and eggs are all good treats. If you feed them these things (except really soft stuff like the yougurt, eggs, and oatmeal) you should give them some grit. I have found with some chicks I have to limit the grit access at first because they will go crazy and overeat on it. I've had a couple of chicks end up getting constipated from stuffing themselves on sand/grit/dirt. Most of the time they're fine, but if they seem to want to gobble grit like it's a meal, just let them have it for a short time every day.