2 Week Old Chicks - What To Feed/Not To Feed.

[rocklobster19]

We have five 2 week old chicks, four Australorps & one hybrid RI red/White LH.

We sadly lost our other hybrid yesterday, and ever since we've started worrying about the two smallest of the group, and have been wanting to expand the feed we give all of them.

While we've found alot of information - We wanted a greater list of what we can feed our chicks & what we shouldn't feed them at two weeks of age

Right now they are on the starter, but we were wondering if there were little treats we could give them - I've read alot of hard-boiled eggs, and plain yogurt, aswell as bits & pieces about wet bread!

Thanks

 

[wombat]

At that age, they're happy just to eat from your hand once they get the idea that the hand brings food.

I'd wait on treats, for the most part, though a little plain yogurt or small bits of scrabled egg are fine. I've not tried hard-boiled as treats for chicks, but we've used tiny bits of scrambled.

 

[Sissy]

I have fed my 3 week old silkie hardboiled chopped fine
eggs and mixed with some started food nothing else .
and a little sugar in their water after the first month they get
ACV 2 Tabl.sp. in a gal of water as they all do,
forever and always and no worms...
and everything is great have never lost any except to a critter as they got older.
I never give mine treats until they are about 6 months and have begun their laying.and they love chopped kale.

 

[comp6512]

Am I a bad mother?

So far my 12 DAY old chicks ate:

Chopped hard-boiled egg with a drizzle of cod liver oil for the last 5 days, 1 egg a day for the whole gang of 20

A finely chopped tomatoe

A finely shredded carrot

A finely cut broccoly florette

Three earth worms

A drizzle of cayenne on their starter after they ate the worms

A dragon fly (DH stepped on it)

Two moths (from the walls, we knocked them down)

Free choice grit, sand and Dumor starter

Free choice mosquitoe, whoever mosquitoe stupid enough to fly into the brooder and stay under 10" from the ground. You gotta watch that!

My point is - I think that innoculation in small dozes is good for any living organizms, chicks and humans included, that's how we build resistance and immunity.

So far, so good. The gang of 20 doing well.

I am no expert by no means, so I stay corrected if needed.

 

[RAWR]

we fed ours: friut, nuts, bread, fish, yogert, cheese, ect
lol
they'll eat anything really
just dont give them rice =.>

 

[PunkinPeep]

Quote:
I think you're a wonderful mother. Except for the minced vegetables (you're addicted to spoiling them, aren't you?), you're largely feeding them what a mother hen would. They're probably growing very well with all that protein.

 

[wombat]

I don't think you're a bad mother at all, and it looks like you put a lot of work and care into what you're doing.

If people are on their first batch of chicks and asking for advice, though, I always lean towards "keep it simple" for the first few weeks.

 

[TennesseeTruly]

I minced some kale and carrots today and gave them to my 2, 3, 5 and 7 day old chicks along with some grit. If they were outside with mama hen, she'd be showing them what to eat.

Tomorrow it'll be some small mealworms for them to fight over.

Laurie

 

[caralouise1974]

My BO never bothered to show her recent chick the chick starter that I helpfully provided! In fact she is now 11 weeks old, and I am having trouble getting her to eat grower pellets, as she has no idea that they are food!

Momma took the little one outdoors from day two, and fed her slugs, snails, worms, moths, caterpillars, grass, flies, clover, wild bird seed, bread (stolen from the bird table) and anything else she could get her beak on. And her lovely little pullet has absolutely thrived!

I honestly thought it would be malnourished when I saw that the chick starter was being left untouched, but it shows that nature provides what they need, despite that fact that it's all pretty unpleasant stuff!

If you want to offer treats I'd advise giving those that are high in protein, such as mealworms and crickets and scrambled egg, and just make sure they have access to grit for digestion, and they'll be fine

 

[faykokoWV]

I'm so mean. I always give my chicks weeds diced up, specifically ground ivy. Not a bunch, just a little bit. I'm hoping if they think its a tasty treat they will eat it all out of my yard when they get older.