Chicken Bedlam? help?

[Chick_a_dee]

I have 15, almost 3 week old chicks and when I left on Thursday they were just little chickies with slight feathers, I came back and they're HUGE... also, apparently my mum filled their feeder this morning, and when I got back I heard these weird noises and discovered it was the chicks pecking at the empty feeder... are they just going through a growth spurt or are they completely and totally MAD?!

 

[arlee453]

I keep food available 24x7 for baby chicks. They need to be able to eat all they want. They do grow VERY fast!

 

[Chick_a_dee]

Quote:
They do get feed 24/7, but I was surprised at how much they'd eaten that day, their feeder was refilled in the morning, and by the time I got home they were pecking at an empty feeder!

They're 3 weeks tomorrow, I think I'm going to take them outside before the end of the week to play in the grass for a while so I can clean the brooder out, they're on peatmoss but now they're more active than little chicks, and make more of a ruckus, they toss up a lot of dust and dirt so they're going to be on shavings starting this week.

 

[LynneP]

Yep, they begin eating exponentially. And by the way, you ain't seen nuthin' yet!