My 3 week old chicks don't seem to like treats. I keep hearing people talk about their chicks going crazy over some treats. I am feeding them grit. I've tried bits of chives, grapes, dandelions, and tops of celery. They have picked up and dropped a few pieces, but they haven't eaten anything. Am I giving them the wrong stuff or are they defective?
It takes time for them to get used to new food. Eventually they will get it. Boiled egg is often a hit though.
The first treat mine responded well to was spagetti. I do believe they should have grit as soon as they are eating anything other than chick starter.
Can you find a few worms or maybe some crickets? Or cook and chop them some hard-boiled egg. Some people swear their chicks love cheerios, but mine are only mildly interested in them. Their #1 favorite treat is millet, found in the pet bird dept. in stores. I give them very little, but you can tell they wish there was more. I always remove the stripped stem after they pick it clean after I had to remove a stem from one little piggy-chicken that tried to swallow it.
Quote:Great information, along with the idea about spagetti. I want my chickens to adore me, or at least tolerate me. Right now there are two that think lap chicken might be a good idea. I told DH that we need to start raising meal worms again for his fish and my chicks. Maybe this weekend we will get that set up.
We start handfeeding our chicks almost immediately. By two weeks old they jump into my hands looking for treats. Note:Only chick food is good for the first week. Then you can give them ground oatmeal, white rice, pasta, etc...
My chicks thought I was trying to POISON them first time I put something in for them, their first treat was a slice of Butternut to peck at - you would not BELIEVE the dirty looks they gave me By the next morning there was a hole in the center of the slice and they were running around taking turns holding it and screaming! Next was spaghetti - and again they looked at me like I was trying to bump them off...... Silly chickens!