Arizona Chickens

[EmmaDonovan]

At what age do y'all feed your chickens kitchen scraps? The chicks are two weeks old and they're eating very well. I know it's important for them to have balanced nutrition right now. I was just thinking of tossing them a few extra bits of green lettuce.

 

[BlueBaby]

At what age do y'all feed your chickens kitchen scraps? The chicks are two weeks old and they're eating very well. I know it's important for them to have balanced nutrition right now. I was just thinking of tossing them a few extra bits of green lettuce.

I always wait a bit on that with mine, but I do break up tiny pieces of some bread crumbs for them. They get to where they will take it from your fingers, but every now and then one might get over eager, so watch out for pecked fingers. Later on when they are a bit older try a little bit of leftover spaghetti noodles, and watch the show. lol

 

[cavemanrich]

EmmaDonovan

Consider the fact, that anything the chickens eat,,, aside from starter crumbles,,, and Brocken up bread,,, they need grit. I know lettuce is soft,,, but it still needs to be ground up in gizzard, to digest well. Consider getting chick, or chicken grit.
My chickens are all grown,, so They pick up their own grit from the ground. I do offer them Cracked oyster shells free-choice. That does work as a grit also, to a certain extent.
Once your chickens are somewhat grown,,, and inside your run area,,,, If there is grit size gravel pieces in your soil, then chickens will find their own choice grit pieces.

 

[igorsMistress]

At what age do y'all feed your chickens kitchen scraps? The chicks are two weeks old and they're eating very well. I know it's important for them to have balanced nutrition right now. I was just thinking of tossing them a few extra bits of green lettuce.

Mine didn’t care for greens that young; keep in mind they need grit if they get anything other than crumble and whatever you give will dilute their nutrition from the feed.

 

[EmmaDonovan]

Our dirt is the typical Sonoran desert sand. We scattered it around inside the brooder so they can peck at it. They also have time on the ground outside the brooder. Do we need to buy chick grit in addition to that?

 

[EmmaDonovan]

Chick pix. This is not their brooder, this is just a small temporary pen so they can spend some time on the ground exploring, scratching, pecking, taking dust baths. It's covered and we sit with them the entire time they're in it.

Note the grass!! Our backyard is just dirt. That grass is a testament to how much rain we've had this winter.

It's so weird to see everything green. When I drove north the other day I couldn't believe what I was seeing, it didn't look like the desert. Picacho Peak was completely carpeted in dark green. I didn't know anything could even grow at the top of it!

 

[cavemanrich]

Our dirt is the typical Sonoran desert sand. We scattered it around inside the brooder so they can peck at it. They've also time on the ground outside the brooder. Do we need to buy chick grit in addition to that?

If there are small gravel size pieces, than that is sufficient. I'm not familiar with the desert sand you have. I was in Phoenix proper, and my uncle had Green Grass planted in his front, and back yard. They also had flood irrigation available where he was. Not sure if that is still happening now.

 

[EmmaDonovan]

This is our dirt. It's sprinkled all over the floor of the brooder and they scratch and peck in it on the actual ground for hours every afternoon.

Isn't it the same as grit? Do we need to buy grit in addition?

 

[EmmaDonovan]

That urban flood irrigation in Phoenix is pretty cool, btw. It uses treated wastewater and reclaimed water, I don't know why we can't do something like it here.

 

[cavemanrich]

This is our dirt. It's sprinkled all over the floor of the brooder and they scratch and peck in it on the actual ground for hours every afternoon.

Isn't it the same as grit? Do we need to buy grit in addition?

View attachment 3780293

Looks like mity fine grit to me.