Baby chicks and snacks?

I hadn't heard of the problem giving chicks yogurt, thanks for the information to consider. I see lots of people reccomending yogurt. I don't think anyone here is trying to say chicks are like humans, and I think the idea that, just like human children we don't want them to fill up on treats, is very apt. It can be hard to see people making recommendations you don't agree with, but you're coming across in a hostile way, Michael Apple, and I don't think that's helpful or nessacary.

We are pretty new to chicks, but ours are a week and a half old and have enjoyed worms and grass when they have play dates outside. I tried giving them hard boiled egg and they had no use for it. Our ducklings loved it.
 
I hadn't heard of the problem giving chicks yogurt, thanks for the information to consider. I see lots of people reccomending yogurt. I don't think anyone here is trying to say chicks are like humans, and I think the idea that, just like human children we don't want them to fill up on treats, is very apt. It can be hard to see people making recommendations you don't agree with, but you're coming across in a hostile way, Michael Apple, and I don't think that's helpful or nessacary.

We are pretty new to chicks, but ours are a week and a half old and have enjoyed worms and grass when they have play dates outside. I tried giving them hard boiled egg and they had no use for it. Our ducklings loved it.

No hostility at all. Some people consider facts and some don't. That's their choice. Unfortunately when the facts are ignored, other living things can bear the brunt of it.
 
I hadn't heard of the problem giving chicks yogurt, thanks for the information to consider. I see lots of people reccomending yogurt. I don't think anyone here is trying to say chicks are like humans, and I think the idea that, just like human children we don't want them to fill up on treats, is very apt. It can be hard to see people making recommendations you don't agree with, but you're coming across in a hostile way, Michael Apple, and I don't think that's helpful or nessacary.

We are pretty new to chicks, but ours are a week and a half old and have enjoyed worms and grass when they have play dates outside. I tried giving them hard boiled egg and they had no use for it. Our ducklings loved it.

Thats was my point also. I was not saying your information was correct or incorrect i was more pointing out that when you are giving your advice to someone that is new to the chicken world perhaps you could say it in what seems to be a less hosilte way. Natural yoghurt has been used by many people with young chicks. I myself have not used it for ones that young.
 
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Thank you everyone for your input. I have learned a lot!
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I wanted to start getting my 4 chicks used to my hand, so I started putting a tiny bit (maybe 1/4 tsp) of boiled egg yolk in the palm. I do this randomly maybe 3 times a day (random positive reinforcement...straight from B.F.Skinner ;-) ). THEY GO NUTS!! They are just over a week old now and they come fluttering over every time the see me, then look at me reproachfully when I don't give them anything!
 
I sometimes let my broody hens raise a few chicks when I need to add to the flock and the hens don't seem to have too much say in what the chicks are eating; she just points out the the things they should eat. Sounds kinda like my parents. The chicks I raise in a brooder do get treats, though. And for that matter, I usually toss some treats to the hen raised babe, too. I try not to get too creative with what I give them, especially the first week or so. Usually they get some fine scratch or small grains- sometimes soaked or sprouted if I have the time or inclination. I don't usually give them yogurt or other dairy until they're out in the run with the older girls, but that's more about keeping the brooder clean. The favorite chicken treat for young and old, chicken and human, is mealworms. I get small to medium sized mealworms for the chicks, though I don't think that it really important. Any worm too big to swallow gets a thorough bashing until it's sized right to get down. To help them digest the harder foods, I've found a fine grit that has vitamins added- Nutragrit is what I remember it being called.

I swear that the mealworms are the absolute best treat for my girls at any age. They absolutely love them and climb over each other to get them from my fingers. And the chicks and hens both are incredibly entertaining to watch when they see the worm cup in my hand!

What ever treats they end up getting, they aren't offered these extras until they've had time to adjust to being in the brooder and all are eating and showing signs of health. Once they appear to be thriving, though, they seem to enjoy a huge variety of foods. I make sure they get some greens and sprouts along with the bugs and dairy. The only thing I worry too much about is carb heavy treats like scratch. That tends to be a fall and winter treat to help them maintain a nice layer of insulation and to produce a little extra heat in cold weather.

I have to say, my philosophy is against a monotonous diet. No single food is 100% nutritionally complete. There is no way that a dry, processed food can contain all the things the birds benefit from when they get fresh/live food- both plant and animal sourced.
 
everything you would eat in the area of fruits and veggies is good for them. I have found that iof I stram broccoli , carrots and asparagus it will be eaten faster. I also dice up fruits to make it easier for them to pick up.
 
I just got 4 chicks and thought I'd read through this thread, to see if there was something I didn't know about. I think most of what I'm reading is pretty instinctual to me, but I was raised with about every animal (including chickens, ducks, parrots, parakeets, cockatiels, and finches on the bird front) so "instinctual" for me may not be what is instinctual for others.
I did want to mention; my father is an ornithologist and I've heard several times from several different people, birds are lactose intolerant. They aren't mammals, they don't drink milk in the wild, and they aren't able to process lactose in the same way that mammals do. Calcium is really important for older chickens, especially when they are laying eggs, but usually when I was a kid we used crushed oyster shells (which are often available in pet stores or feed stores) for our adult hens. I don't know if the standard oyster shell is crushed finely enough for chicks, but I do know that yogurt, milk, or cheese are all bad for avian digestive tracts! Other than that, I do think that chicks should experience as many different tastes as possible (mine keep trying to eat the newspaper print around the edges of their little brooder, their bedding, each other...)!
 

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