when can my chickies eat grass

[Roxannemc]

Not sure the extra calcium is good for babychicks in shells .. Why they cant eat layer feed Layeming hens its fine

 

[Sharon Bee]

I read on this forum that feeding them eggshells might promote the chickens eating their own eggs in the nest. ??

 

[debid]

I read on this forum that feeding them eggshells might promote the chickens eating their own eggs in the nest.  ??

It's a different behavior for them to try to damage an egg in the nest than to consume a pile of broken shell on the ground. I don't believe they associate those two things at all. That's giving way too much credit for advanced thinking. We're talking about birds that struggle to figure out that they need to walk away from their desired destination in order to get around a gate and to the opening that leads the other side... And yes, I feed shells back to my hens and have never had an egg eater.

But they aren't good for chicks. Excess calcium is hard on growing organs and can lead to liver problems.

 

[Flying Feathers]

u can also saveur egg shells and rinse them in water and smash them up and bake them on a cookie sheet at 300 degrees in the oven til they r golden brown and let them cool then feed them to ur chickens also it i guess helps to strengthen the egg shells that they lay !!! the owner of our local pet store told me this when i bought some chicken food ...... hope this helps

Not an expert, but I think that the egg shells should only given once the pullets are actually ready to lay eggs. Too much calcium is not good for young chicks. Just an FYI.

 

[debid]

hello everyone!  I have 26 adorable and sweet Dominiques that are just over 2 weeks old.  They are living in the basement and have light on.  I was wondering when I can start yanking out some grass from the yard and letting them eat it.  They have chick grit sprinkled around.  I'm worried about them getting bored without something new to do. 


Thank you for any help!

Some folks would say not to do it at all, others would say that a hen would have them on grass when they were just a few days old. I started taking my chicks out for supervised ranging at a week old so you can guess which way I lean. I would caution that long grass can tangle and create a mass in the crop that won't pass through so if you decide to give grass, offer short pieces or a clump of sod that they can tear bits off of.

 

[BarrettG]

I have 2 week old white leghorns. I took them out on the grass today. I was doing some gardening and find some worms. I gave them the worms and they loved it. They ate grass themselves. I have been chopping up strawberrys and they love it. I wouldn't give them eggs because that can be a problem add they may want to eat their own eggs. I tried to give them crickets and they were scared of them. This is my first 5 chicks ever so so far so good.I don't give them grit though. I was told it's not that necessary. Just supervise the birds good. I started seeing big birds come out of nowhere