Treats for baby chicks?

[HaloAmanda]

I was supposed to get pullets but ended up with 21 chicks. 19 will be a week tommorrow and Tuesday and 2 of them are 2 weeks old. They are all doing fantastic eating drinking scratching in their shavings etc. but they scratch and peck at the ground so much I'm wondering if there's treats I can throw on the ground for them?

 

[Folly's place]

You can throw some of their chick started out there with no problems. If you add anything else, they need some small sized grit also. I scatter it along the edge of my brooder, then small amounts of UNTREATED grass, clover, safe weeds, fruit, or whatever. Very small amounts, so they eat their feed. Mary

 

[HaloAmanda]

Do they need grit if I give them insects? I was thinking of taking a walk to the petco by me tommorrow for some feeder crickets or mealworms

You can throw some of their chick started out there with no problems.  If you add anything else, they need some small sized grit also.  I scatter it along the edge of my brooder, then small amounts of UNTREATED grass, clover, safe weeds, fruit, or whatever.  Very small amounts, so they eat their feed.  Mary

 

[mich9510]

Do they need grit if I give them insects? I was thinking of taking a walk to the petco by me tommorrow for some feeder crickets or mealworms

I'm new at this so I'm just going to pass along advice that was given to me. Grit is needed for food that would need chewed up. So boiled eggs (which are absolutely my chicks favorite treat) do not need grit. Something like crickets (which have an exoskeleton) would probably need grit. When chicks are that little, mealworms and crickets might be too big for them. We tried mealworms when our chicks were that old and they would pick them up but not actually eat them. I would recommend maggots if you want to give them an insect. And boiled eggs otherwise. I hope that helped.

 

[Pork Pie]

Heres a link on grit that you may finding interesting

https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/891051/the-science-of-feeding-grit-to-poultry

Personally, I leave the treats until they are older.

CT

 

[Dmontgomery]

Do I need to supply grit for the week old chicks if they are on dirt all day or will the mother find sufficient grit material for them?

 

[Wyorp Rock]

Do I need to supply grit for the week old chicks if they are on dirt all day or will the mother find sufficient grit material for them?

Some people never use grit and let them find their own in the dirt.
It does not hurt anything to provide grit if you choose to. I choose to make a dish of grit available free choice. A bag of grit will last a long time.

 

[Folly's place]

Chicks raised with a broody hen outside don't need extra grit (usually!) but those in a brooder will need it when eating anything other than their feed. I start some plants from the pasture when they are in my coop brooder area, at about three weeks of age, with grit. Mary

 

[HaloAmanda]

If I boil up some eggs should I put in the slicer I have for egg salad then just give them in a dish?

I'm new at this so I'm just going to pass along advice that was given to me. Grit is needed for food that would need chewed up. So boiled eggs (which are absolutely my chicks favorite treat) do not need grit. Something like crickets (which have an exoskeleton) would probably need grit. When chicks are that little, mealworms and crickets might be too big for them. We tried mealworms when our chicks were that old and they would pick them up but not actually eat them. I would recommend maggots if you want to give them an insect. And boiled eggs otherwise. I hope that helped.

 

[Dmontgomery]

If I boil up some eggs should I put in the slicer I have for egg salad then just give them in a dish?

Slice them, crumble them, or mash them up, it won't matter. You just don't want them to look like eggs anymore, so not whole.