can chicks drink milk?

[chasep]

i was just wondering if i can feed my chicks milk so maybe they will grow stronger
can you do this?

 

[ticks]

yeah, chicks CAN drink any liquid.

I wouldn't suggest it.

 

[Dawn419]

I've never heard of anyone doing so before.

I just feed mine chick starter, which already has everything in it, nutrition-wise, that they need to help them grow. I'm afraid milk would give them diarrhea.

I'm sure other members will come along and give their experiences and opinions, too!


Dawn

 

[speckledhen]

The only time chicks should get milk is if you are battling cocci and then, it's the raw milk that coats the intestines best and helps with that. Generally, probably not a good idea to regularly just give chicks milk. They dont digest lactose that well. I give mine buttermilk and pumpkin seeds as a natural wormer, but only about once a week.

 

[Akane]

I think this discussion came up before and determined it was not a good idea. Most animals are lactose intollerant and actually do quite badly with cow milk. It's really not a good thing to give any pet.

 

[ChanceRider]

Guess my birds and I didn't know that they shouldn't have milk! My layers and Cornish X have all been raised with supplemental goat milk.... fresh from the goats. No problems with diarrhea (sp?) and they love it. So far, I've seen no adverse effects from giving them goat milk.

 

[BamaChicken]

I have used powdered milk and just mixed the powder in their food with no problem

 

[Akane]

Fresh milk is different from store bought milk and goat milk is different from cow milk. I am lactose intollerant and many people with mild intollerance or milk allergies have found they can drink whole milk straight from the animal but not the processed pasteurized stuff in stores. Also I use goat milk (usually store bought) in place of cow milk where soy milk wouldn't work in a recipe because it's easier on my stomach. I'd like to some day have my own dairy goats so I can hopefully use real milk again instead of soy or rice milk.

 

[speckledhen]

I have raw goat's milk frozen for when my next batch of chicks hits the ground. Check out this article on coccidiosis at the bottom that mentions using raw milk to treat that. I have mixed powdered milk with starter to treat a particularly tough case of cocci and it does help, but raw is preferred.
http://www.cornerstone-farm.com/dealing_with_coccidiosis.htm

 

[PokingMyPancreas]

No milk!!!!

When my oldest sister was a kid, she gave her chick milk since she believed it would make him grow up "big and strong." The poor thing had diarrhea for 3 days. He died a very horrible and painful death.