Chick Treats?

[desertgirl]

My little girls are pretty friendly, seem not to mind being handled,etc. I'd like to further cement this bond by offering them something yummy, but don't want to overload their 2&3 day old systems. They will eat chicken starter out of my hand, but that doesn't seem very exciting when there is the same thing all around them!

When, and what do you suggest?

 

[carriehelene]

I started with oatmeal at a week old. It's still their favorite treat. Alot of people start with yogurt, but my chicks turned their snooty little noses up at that. Keep feeding them out of your hand, pretty soon they will think you are their personal jungle gym

What I liked about the oatmeal was they don't have to have grit first. Have you checked out the treat chart yet? Make sure you read it, it's very informative. It's the first post in the feeding thread.

 

[tankernav1]

We just gave our 2 weeks old their first worm. They loved it! Afraid of the yogurt last night but went right for the worm!!

Here is the grit question again---don't need it for the worm, right? I did scoop up some sand by the road and just put it in he brooder. Thought if they needed it, it would be available. I keep thinking if they were outside they would just get everything they need naturally!

 

[desertgirl]

OK-here's a dumb question...does it matter if the oatmeal is cooked or raw:/

I looked on the treat chart, (which is sooooo great!!!!!) but I'm not sure when the treats become age appropriate.

 

[Sakai]

I'm also wondering the same thing. My chicks are a week old now and all they've had is chick starter. I thought about getting worms at the bait store, but not sure what worms would be best. Also, the topic of grit. Is sand fine for the chicks? Is any ole sand fine? (desert sand, with tiny pebbles) or should it be a finer store bought kind? I'm thinking of giving them oatmeal because they don't need grit for that...I think.

 

[gritsar]

Two great treats that you can give the young ones are chopped hard boiled egg and plain yogurt. They'll play keepaway with the pieces of egg white. Pssst, don't tell the chicks but these two treats are actually good for them! It's normal for chicks to be afraid of anything new in their brooder, including food. Just leave it in there for awhile and they'll get over their fear.
Clean sand will work for their first grit. You can find plain parakeet grit in the pet dept. at walmart. You don't want the calcium fortified parakeet grit.
They don't need grit for the egg and yogurt. Start offering grit for things that need grinding up.

 

[tcwk]

does it matter if the yogurt is flavored?

 

[gritsar]

Quote:
The only reason you want to avoid the flavored yogurts is that most of them have too much sugar or artificial sweetener in them. Plain yogurt is also cheaper and available in larger containers.
The active live cultures in the yogurt are great to get their digestive systems off to a good start.

 

[FarmerDenise]

I just follow momma hen's lead. She gives them little bits of grass, bugs and seeds. In the process they also get plenty of dirt. So when I raise some whitout a momma, I go out and get little clumps of nice grass, so they can tug on it and the roots and they can peck at the dirt. I cut up bits of grass into small pieces just like the momma would. If I come across little worms or grubs, I give those to my chicks also. I will also give them a few bits of cooked rice. Not too much though, since I don't think it has much nutritional value. I also give them sprays of millet that we grow ourselves. Sure keeps them busy. Again, I don't try to overdo it, this time because millet is high in fat and I don't want them to fill up on just millet. But they play with it a lot too. I think as long as they eat mostly chick starter, they ought to be ok.
When the chicks are with a momma hen, they eat very little chick starter, coz the momma takes them all over the field. They end up good and healty little chicks as well.

 

[tankernav1]

Good idea about the clumps of grass. I keep thinking they would get this all "out in the wild" but when you have a controlled environment you think about every little thing ! When you say you cut up the grass....do you not put the entire clod of dirt and grass in the brooder for them to pick at? Mine are about 3 weeks old now and flying around and I just want to entertain them! They have loved the couple of worms we have put in there and they now like the yogurt. I just haven't figured out how to do it so they won't walk in it or get the pine shavings totally mixed into it.