Chick wants to be fed like a wild bird?

[TammyTX]

I have a EE'r chick about 2 1/2 weeks old, she is a funny color (so far) kind of a mousey gray/brown but I see gold colored feathers coming in around her shoulders.

The weird thing that she does is go around to the other chicks and acts like she wants to eat out of the mouths. Mossy, as I call her, will peck the other chicks beaks, one after the next, until she finally eats out of the feeder. I have only observed her doing this when they are eating. It's not a dominate thing, she really seems like she wants them to feed her. The chicks don't seem to mind much.

Anyone else see this with their chicks?

 

[Veer67]

Sometimes when there's some food hanging out of one of my chicks mouths the other chicks grab for it.

 

[TammyTX]

That's not the case here. I even picked up a couple of chicks to make sure there were no red wounds around their beaks.

I'll try to video her.

 

[lazy gardener]

I think it's just normal chicken behavior. Think of it as the baby who wants to put everything he sees into his mouth. It's most disconcerting when newly hatched chicks go for each other's eyes! I have 2 pullets who hang out together, and often see them doing a gentle beak peck.

 

[donrae]

If she were raised by a hen, she would be doing this same thing to her momma. Momma hens pick things up in their beaks and let the babies eat from them, it's part of how they teach the chicks what is good to eat. I have 6 week old chicks that are still letting momma tear apart the swiss chard and eat it from her. It's a normal thing.

 

[TammyTX]

This is off topic, but it's my thread soooo....

I heard on TV (so it must be true) that Maine is one of the least populated states. Is it true??

 

[TammyTX]

If she were raised by a hen, she would be doing this same thing to her momma. Momma hens pick things up in their beaks and let the babies eat from them, it's part of how they teach the chicks what is good to eat. I have 6 week old chicks that are still letting momma tear apart the swiss chard and eat it from her. It's a normal thing.

How interesting. I've never noticed it in my other chicks over the years. Maybe she'll make a good broody someday. There is something "different" about her....