10-12 day old chicks - mealworm question

[mcliff3]

Good morning all!

We were thinking of starting to offer mealworms to our baby chicks (around 10-12 days old now). They are currently on a diet of medicated starter feed (Purina Star and Grow) along with the occasional treat of some starter feed mixed with some plain yogurt (I still think they enjoy walking in that more than actually eating it...but they seem to have a great time regardless!) If we wanted to start offering them the occasional meal worm as a treat - I have read we should also offer them chick grit as well. Should the chick grit be mixed in their feeder with their starter feed or should we put another container in the brooder with only grit inside?

Thanks in advance!

Mike

 

[azygous]

Grit should be offered on the side as you do oyster shell for layers.

Meal worms are fine in moderation as you would offer any treat. My latest chicks got meal worms when they were two days out of the egg and did splendidly. They knew what to do with them and the excitement that ensued was massively entertaining.

 

[mcliff3]

Thanks for the response! Is there a "number" as far as moderation goes? Would there be a rule of thumb for the number of mealworms a chick should get as a treat in a day? Would it be one per day?

Thanks!

Mike

 

[azygous]

I dole out meal worms as a form of entertainment. Hand out one to the first chick up and then sit back and watch the ensuing pandemonium. One worm will be carried in a few laps around the brooder or brooding pen while the chick is screeching in excitement with the rest of the chicks trailing after it.

This is good for maybe a minute. Repeat with a second worm. Watch ensuing game of keep-away and resulting pandemonium. If you're lucky you will get to witness a tug of war with two chicks on each side of it, pulling in opposite direction. Good times.

When you have had your fill of entertainment, the amount of meal worms distributed constitutes "moderation".