Can four week old chicks eat themselves to death?

cottagechick

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I provide free for all chick crumble chick grit and very occasional treats...and it seems like every time I pick one of these chicks up their gullets are almost as big as they are...and still they will jump up and run over and start eating like they are starving to death every once in a while. I wonder that their gullets don't split from being stuffed so full...if they were full of helium they would float. Is this normal?
 
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I have several 4 week olds still brooding in the house and they eat more than any grown chicken I have ever known. When they run out of food, they all start chirping loudly until the food reappears. Seems like they would tip over on their little faces with that boulder on their chests.
 
I really had to laugh. I have just received 8 week old buff orpingtons (2 girls) that eat like there's no tomorrow. Since there's 2 and they are isolated (until tomorrow) I know exactly how much those pigs eat - about 1/2 cup twice a day - EACH!!! In a hurry to catch up with the big girls I guess!
 
That's perfectly normal. Chickens have a phenomenal growth rate, compared to a lot of other animals. Any creature that's growing needs more food than one that's just maintaining it's size. The faster they're growing, the more food it takes, too. Chickens grow from tiny chicks to full size in just a few months.
 

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