Can day old chicks have mealies?

[JenS9]

I have a bunch of mealies for my sugar gliders, and I know my older girls can have them, but what about my new, day-old babies?

 

[ten chicks]

The best thing for baby chicks that young is starter feed. Starter feed contains all the vitamins and nutrients that chicks need. If giving anything else when they are a little older,they need grit to digest food.

 

[JenS9]

I'm aware they need started feed, which they are on. I also have chick grit. I just want to know if they can have mealies that young, or if I should wait until they are older.

 

[ten chicks]

I would wait until they are a little older.

 

[3riverschick]

Quote: ==========
Ten chicks is right. For the 1st 36-48 hours the chicks live off their yolk sac. They don't need food, just water. Personally, I put Poultry Nutri-Drench in their water until they are 4 weeks old. It is a top flight nutritional supplement by Bovidr Labs (website) . If you want to give them something when they are a little older, try sprouting some forage oats. Excellent for chicks. Feed them sprouts as green feed, i.e., sprouted that are 4-7 days old. See the BYC thread,
https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/425134/anybody-raise-sprouts-to-feed-the-chickens pages 24-29 for full hows and whys of sprouting for your birds.
After they are a little older, if you feed them anything but chick feed and water (with liquid supplements, if desired), you need too provide them with chick grit.
Best,
Karen in western PA, USA