Chicks are 3 weeks.

[catsew]

Our chicks are 3 weeks old now. Due to the weather they have only had 1 day of outdoor time, and only a few minutes while I cleaned their brooder.
Anyway, is there anything else I should be feeding them now? They are just on those starter crumbles.

 

[M.sue]

When mine were that little I would treat them to tiny bits of day old bread. I really didn't give much as in treats until they were about 6 wk.old because I wanted to them to their nutrients from the chick feed. I also supplied them with some chick grit which is important for them in order to process/digest their food properly. I'd also changed & supplied their water 3-4 times daily.

 

[sheila3935]

take some bits of bread soaked in milk. They love it.

 

[serenityNH]

Mine love hard boiled egg- that is their favorite

 

[catsew]

Chickens eat eggs? Isn't that like cannibalism?
Does it matter what kind of bread? Like is wheat bread ok? And should I try to get them to eat it out of my hands, or just put it in their dish?

I change the water all the time. We have it raised and they still manage to poop in it and kick the chips in it. After I do the cage today I'm going to raise it even higher. If there's poop in it I'm guessing its not tall enough.

 

[M.sue]

Since they are little chicks and still in the brooder you will always have a little mess in there until you can put them in the coop and have hanging feeders/waterers. Baby chicks love to be messy!! They're learning to flap their wings, establishing the pecking order, and like to run. As for feeding them the bread out of your hand....go for it, we did. Doing so they become accustomed to the human touch and aren't so skittish when they're older and you try to pick them up. Tossing it in also works....they run like crazy for it and chase each other around trying to get a piece.

P.S. doesn't matter what type of bread!!!

 

[JodyJo]

Try putting your waterer on a block of wood, or a flipped over tupperware bowl, something to raise it up, even at a day old they know how to scratch and throw the shavings! I added a tree branch to mine also, to give them something to perch on, its cute, before bed I checked on them, and they were all asleep on the branch, even at 6 days old...don't give them too many treats, the starter is what they need now, you can mix it with some water, it becomes a mush, they love it, even my older ones still do.

 

[serenityNH]

Quote:
Uhm, No it's not cannibalism

Lots of people recommend feeding chickens eggs, its a great source of protein. Some people even feed their chickens cooked chicken!

Here is an excellent link for treats to feed chickenshttps://www.backyardchickens.com/web/viewblog.php?id=2593-Treats_Chart

 

[catsew]

Thank you. That list is awesome. I never knew chickens could eat all those kinds of things. They'll have all kinds of fun treats just from the garden. Good thing they won't be free ranging or our garden might not last too long.

The waterer is already up on a brick, I might try 2 bricks, but I don't want it to be able to fall on them. I think I might just have to pay attention to the water. Its probably easier to change it more often than worry about a brick falling over.

 

[AlienChick]

Also keep in mind that since they're so young and they still need to grow, that their primary source of food should be the starter crumbles.

Give them a little treat if you have to but do not allow the consumption to be more than 10% of their food.

And if you do give them treats, make sure you offer them some chick grit in a separate dish.