baby chicks eating worms?

[motherhenparks]

Good evening, does anyone know how old chicks need to be, before they can start having worms, bugs and such?

 

[b.hromada]

I've been letting my chicks outside since they were several days old. They run around, scratching up all kinds of bugs, and they love doing it!

Sure hope it doesn't matter. I also give them small meal worms for treats too.

Oh, by the way,

from S. Florida!

 

[t4dbirds]

I've been feeding mine grapes and tomatoes too! Oh and Spinach. They didn't eat the broccoli I tried to give them but the dog did.

Oh yes, welcome to BYC!!

Also mine just had their first spider but they are now about 5 weeks old. It was funny, they were clueless what to do with it. They just watched it run around the house, It thought I was going to have to kill it myself when one finally got the nerve up to grab it! All gone! ICK!!

 

[bantam_n00b]

Same here mine have been eating it since they were a couple days old and they are not even 2 weeks old yet. So i would say its healthy and nutritious, bugs have a lot of essential vitamins and proteins that they can't get from their feed so i wouldn't worry about it.

 

[luckyramu]

Hmm... I've prepared a video that I hope answers your questions. I was quite shocked myself, and wondered if they'd die or something. No one died except the worm.

Enjoy

 

[Oven Ready]

Ours all free range from day one, so they eat whatever they find, no problem.

One problem, which isn't a problem but looks like one, is that sometimes they eat something a little too big or too spiky and then they look like they are gasping for air and about to die, but they usually stand very erect, beaks pointing upwards and 'gasping'. It's nothing to worry about but it looks scary.

enjoy your chicks

 

[elmo]

Last year I brooded chicks artificially and followed the recommended treat chart like it was the law. This year, my three broody hens hatched out their own chicks. We were watching one of the hens and her newly hatched chicks only moments after they left the nest for the first time when the hen spotted a big, juicy grub of some kind in the run. We were horrified when she grabbed it and immediately gave it to one of her chicks. I was sure the tiny thing was going to choke! It took three or four tries for it to swallow the bug, and its crop was bulging with the huge meal. Of course the chick was fine...

What I have noticed, though, is that the hens seem to kill the bugs first before giving them to the chicks. At least they peck them and whack them down hard on the ground. Then the chicks copy this behavior themselves. It's fascinating to watch how the hen teaches her chicks.

 

[waldeneffect]

Most chicks seem to be afraid of worms. Every now and then I'll see one brave enough to gulp one down.

My wife made a blog post on some of the plants that chicks seem to be okay with at as young as one week old.

http://www.avianaquamiser.com/posts/Pasture_suitable_to_week_old_chicks/

 

[Brandolamite]

I have 4 11 day old chicks,dug up some small earth worms and boy was it a sight to see,they went nuts over them...Love raising baby chicks.