can chicks drink milk?

[speckledhen]

Think of it this way:
Mammals nurse their young. Avians do not. Milk is a mammalian food, not a natural one for avians. As I said, a little from time to time may not hurt and will help for cocci, but as a regular thing, not a good idea.

 

[Akane]

Even mammals don't do well on cow milk. Very few adult mammals retain the ability to digest the proteins and fats in milk efficiently. Different species of mammals also have very different milk. A good example is a guinea pig versus a gerbil or rabbit. I've raised all 3 as orphans. Guinea pig milk is extremely weak and has very little if any lactose. Feeding a guinea pig pup on cow milk is practically a death sentence. They do best if put straight on moistened guinea pig pellets and veggies without any type of milk. Gerbils and rabbits have very concentrated milk. They actually need a stronger mix than normal cow milk to grow. I usually take goat kid or foal replacer powder and mix it near double the suggested strength to raise either of those. Unless you know the specifics of the animal and the milk your using (raw vs store bought versions) cow milk just shouldn't be given to pets. There are very few instances where it's helpful to the animal and some can develop diarhea or vomit it back up. I came home to quite a mess after my aunt took care of my cats for a week because she gave them milk every day. They threw up most of their food the last few days and the boxes were full of runny goo.

 

[speckledhen]

Yeah, I cringe when people give cats milk. As I said, I have some raw goat's milk in the freezer just for a cocci treatment, if needed, but I dont give my flock milk, other than a small amt of buttermilk in oatmeal from time to time.

 

[pasturedchickendinner]

Some of the best producers of chicken in the world feed chickens milk!

http://www.practicallyedible.com/ed.../edible.nsf/pages/bressechickens!opendocument

http://dinersjournal.blogs.nytimes.com/2007/05/25/not-a-mothers-milk/

 

[Mahonri]

As a kid we always gave our chicks milk with their starter mash. They loved it... and they grew.

It helped saved mine last year when a bunch got sick.

 

[cmom]

I wouldn't suggest any milk. Chick Starter or Starter/Grower has all the nutrients chicks need. Mine get plenty of water and feed available to them 24/7.

 

[crazyhen]

Goats milk has partially broken down lactose. One of the few raw milks I can tolerate. It is ok for cats occ. but I would not use it everyday for them. Jean

 

[Lionessgirl789]

Well I was drinking milk and I have 5 backyard chickens but 1 does not lay eggs :/:/ and I was wondering hmm can chickens crick milk?

 

[Outpost JWB]

Well I was drinking milk and I have 5 backyard chickens but 1 does not lay eggs

and I was wondering hmm can chickens crick milk?

Welcome to BYC @Lionessgirl789 , I give mine milk in VERY small amounts. For example: If I have a small amount in a jug that has just expired, I will dump it in with their scraps. I have 58 chickens, so they don't get much out of it. If you are looking to up the calcium for the hens, give them crushed oyster shell. Are you feeding them layer pellets? How old is the hen that is not laying?
And what type of chicken is she?

 

[Renato Penno]

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

Yes, you can definitely give them milk and also white cheese as long as you're using lactose-free products. They love dairy products, but remember always lacfree! Baby chicks after 20 days can start eating lacfree white cheese or dry cottage as well. The only issue for them is the lactose