Can I give my 1 month 10 day old chicks a cupcake?

[lazy gardener]

Why would you want to give them a cupcake that is nothing but sugar and empty calories? They need the nutrition that is in their feed. Excess sugar can cause diarrhea, and may even upset the bacterial balance in their guts. Treat them like chickens, feed them like chickens. Sod is a great treat for them, b/c it actually benefits them.

 

[Mylied]

Chicks don't have the same taste buds as humans, so a cupcake to them is not a delicious snack like it is to us. Plus it has no nutritional value. If you really want to treat them, go dig up some fat grubs or get some waxworms or mealworms at the pet store. Dig up a chunk of grass and put it in their pen, they'll go crazy. Treats should be at a minimum and feed should be the main thing they eat. Unless they end up free ranging. Anyway, can you give them a cupcake? Sure. Should you? Not really. There are other treats they'd enjoy more. And definitely no frosting at any age.

 

[Wyorp Rock]

I can't give them scrambled eggs because they are still on, almost through, their bag of medicated chick feed...because of the medicated feed I can't give them scrambled eggs because of the excess sulfer.

Can you give us more information on not giving eggs because of the sulpher in them?
Not heard that one. Medicated chick starter usually have Amprolium in it. It is a Coccidiostat acting as a Thiamine blocker. Egg should not interfere with this at all.

As for the cupcakes, imho, I would not feed that to them. A chicken's diet (unless they free range) needs to consist of 90-95% balanced, complete poultry feed. So your "treats" for your chicks should only be around 5-10% of their daily intake. These "treats" need to be as nutritional as possible too. Leafy greens, veggies, a little fruit, mealworms or sunflower seeds go a long way. For your chicks hang a few slices of cucumber or a couple of leaves of kale for them to pick at - much, much better than a cupcake.

If your Silkie is fat, then you may want to get a baseline weight on her. Weigh her daily to see how much weight she is gaining. Too many treats and fat can lead to Fatty Liver Hemorrhagic disease, reproductive problems (prolapsed vent, egg binding, etc) and cause health problems down the road. Surely you don't want one of your sweeties to bleed to death internally or end up with an egg stuck later on and be in distress and possibly die(?)

 

[N F C]

Maybe this article will give you some ideas on treats that won't be just empty calories:
chicken-treat-chart-the-best-treats-for-backyard-chickens.47738

 

[IdyllwildAcres]

Treats do not equal love. If only we could understand this as a society maybe we would not be so fat.

Gary

 

[debid]

Sometimes people "love" their pets to death. I think you should read through the excellent alternatives suggested here and try to see pleasure through a chicken's eyes rather than your own.

 

[lazy gardener]

Agreed, the statement about eggs having too much sulphur?????? That's a new one. And I'd need to see a study to even consider it as being reliable information. Eggs make a wonderful, high protein, appropriate treat, especially for chicks.

 

[rosemarythyme]

I have to agree with the others - there's no nutritional value in a cupcake (and especially frosting) and some chickens don't even like baked goods, so a cupcake has as much treat value as a brick. A melon rind or torn up kale or grubs dug up from the lawn, that's their idea of yum, and better for them, as long as not fed in excess.

 

[HeidiEmbrey]

I think food is love and I'm not fat but very fit and I Love fruits and veg so that's never been a problem. You know 33% of your calories are supposed to come from fat? Fat's good for you too. I spend all day growing and preparing food for my children friends family and pets and I do it because I love them. Food is love as much as building someone a beautiful house would be, or buying them a diamond ring. I eat foods that are high cal low nutrition too sometimes and as long as it's not going to hurt them in a REAL WAY, they are getting cake on occasion. As long as their digestive systems etc. can handle it..I gave them some crumbs and they got more excited than anything I've given them by far. And I'm going to wait till Thanksgiving and let them celebrate with us with a cupcake. I feel it must be boring for them to eat the same exact foods every day, and from a chickens point of view I still think I want to keep them stimulated. They are 1 month 2 weeks old and I have not given them any junk food or treats at all yet and I want to give them one I don't think once a month is bad. Ya''ll need to chill a little I think, but thanks for the advice. My mom was always telling me no no cake and now I eat cake with breakfast and it's awesome. You know it's not any worse for you than bread. Cake and icecream is as good for you as cerial and milk. We might be healthier if we all ate nothing but oatmeal or would we because I would not even want to liive like that and severe depression is not healthy either

 

[HeidiEmbrey]

Agreed, the statement about eggs having too much sulphur?????? That's a new one. And I'd need to see a study to even consider it as being reliable information. Eggs make a wonderful, high protein, appropriate treat, especially for chicks.

I've come across people talking about it quite a few times now..but apparently the problem is the eggs being high in sulfer is hard on their livers, at the same time the medicated feed is hard on their livers, not that the feed is high in sulfer...?

1. Aug 18, 2013#7
   
   chooks4lifeOverrun With Chickens
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   I resorted to hard boiled eggs with dandelion leaves or raw onion to stop turkey poults dying of tuberculosis. It eradicated the disease. Not sure how, possibly the sulfur levels. Never had it again.
   
   For them I did about one egg each, lol. You can give the chicks more than one for 9, but you might want to watch out for any signs of excessive protein consumption since you're giving them chick starter. If it's medicated then the naturally high levels of sulfur in the egg yolks may be a threat to their livers which will possibly be dealing with the meds on an ongoing basis. This is especially a concern with vaccinated chicks because some vaccines tend to be hard on the livers.
   
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2. Aug 18, 2013#8
   
   PulletzerprizeNew Egg
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   Great info. I am feeding them medicated starter so I will be careful about how many eggs they get because of the sulfur and additional protein. Many thanks!