Topic of the Week - Feeding Treats

[Frazzemrat1]

- At what age can you start offering chicks treats and how do you go about it?
I waited until they were about 2 weeks old before one day deciding to grab some parakeet grit and living meal worms... Once they figured out the worms were food, they went mad for them!

- What treats do you give your flock?
At this point, live or dried meal worms, spinach, I've given them a little bit of alfalfa hay to test out, leftover fresh corn I cut off the cob. Once they move outside, they'll get daily kitchen scraps.

- How much, and how often do you feed treats?
Well, the kitchen scraps will be daily, I figure meal worms every once in a while, scratch occasionally. The grass clippings when we mow...

- What treats should NOT be given to chickens, or given in moderation?
I know that they shouldn't get my onions and garlic scraps, avocado, sweets, chocolate, coffee grounds... I think I hit the major ones...

- What are your flock's favourite treats?
So far, the meal worms... especially the living ones. And any bug they run across when they have outside time...

 

[jjchickmom]

We have chicks. We feed them starter feed and offer grit. For a treat they get a clump of pulled weeds every few days and they love dried meal worms. They will take the worms right from between our fingers and even jump for them. We also throw some in to allow them to forage. I think next week we will buy some small crickets as a treat and for their entertainment.

 

[rkinley]

I have 10 2 week old chicks. Would it be ok to give them the seed/tops of green pepper?

 

[RHChicks]

When do you have to give chicks grit? We have 2 wk old chicks and they ate some crickets and it was like Christmas for them!! Do I need to give them some grit now?

 

[Frazzemrat1]

When do you have to give chicks grit? We have 2 wk old chicks and they ate some crickets and it was like Christmas for them!! Do I need to give them some grit now?

If you feed them anything but chick crumble, you have to offer them grit. The crumble is easy to break down, but anything else, that's why they have a gizzard... but the gizzard has to have grit in it to do its job.

 

[bajabirdbrain]

Next to meal worms I would have to vote an ear of corn as most popular treat for our girls!

 

[thewatsonfarm]

I have 10 2 week old chicks. Would it be ok to give them the seed/tops of green pepper?

I think the general rule is not do give them anything like that that will be difficult for them to break down until they have built up some grit in their crops. 2 weeks old is very young still. If the green (bell?) pepper in uncooked, it might be tough for them to digest. It's safer to wait until they're old enough to be outside and build up some grit to break down whatever treat you feed them.

As I recall, we gave ours girls really small meal worms & little bites of cottage cheese when they were chicks.

 

[thewatsonfarm]

Years ago, someone posted a recipe that we call "chicken crack" because the girls go wild for it: in equal parts, we mix dry oats, BOSS, and raisins. The girls always go for the raisins first, but the whole mix is a hit with our flock.

 

[rkinley]

So far I have given them a couple of strawberries, a peeled slice of cucumber and an inch of banana. I also put chick grit in with them and I have seen them eat some of it. They hatched on May 6. I hope i haven't hurt them! They are in a pen on the floor of the garage and have access to the dirt on the garage floor, (they scratch through the pine shavings). So far so good...

 

[rkinley]

Oh, and I gave the green bell pepper tops and seeds to the adults outside. It was gone in minutes