Chicks Eating Big Insects

[centrarchid]

I am training two broods of chicks to do some insect consumption rate experiments. First brood of 7 is 12 days old and second brood of 9 is 9 days old. At this time interest is in getting chicks used to going into a blue and otherwise featureless tank where they will be presented with meal worms. I am offering a range of sizes as that will be important later. Feeding them regular sized meal worms on down thus far has shown nothing out of the ordinary as the chicks are little gluttons on those. The fun is with the super meal worms. They are much are larger and tougher. The super meals worms are at least 10 times the size of anything I see my 1 to 2 week old chicks consume unless their mother helps kill and dismember it. When one super meal worm is added, there is the typical chasing and even what appears to be fighting over the meal worm. The interesting part involves making so each chick has a super meal worm. Every body grabs one and runs about periodically shaking the prey to kill and break it up. The thing is the super meal worm is consumed whole. Processing time looks to be real interesting when chicks in a group. Isolated chicks is where I want to go.

 

[Ridgerunner]

The thing is the super meal worm is consumed whole.

Interesting. I've seen older chickens peck frogs into bite sized pieces but had not noticed chicks doing that. Probably because the chicks are in with the adults and can't keep the frog or mouse that long. Typically with mice the mature chickens peck the mouse until the bones are broken and the dead mouse is limber, then they swallow those whole. Sounds like the very young chicks are following the same process with the meal worms.

 

[aart]

It has always puzzled me that chickens don't use their feet to hold 'prey' down while tearing it with their beaks.

 

[SueT]

It has always puzzled me that chickens don't use their feet to hold 'prey' down while tearing it with their beaks.

Me too, and I am also puzzled that vultures, who can hold down their prey, don't carry small roadkill out of the road so they can eat in peace. Chickens are so good at carrying the prey in their beaks, they could learn from each other.....
I have one hen who will eat large hornworms that I pull off tomato plants. She will peck it and shake it, kill it, then swallow it whole. I thought they were toxic but she has eaten quite a few. No one else will touch them. She also has swallowed mice and small snakes, whole. The entire flock likes catching the plentiful cicadas and grasshoppers.

 

[Shadrach]

It has always puzzled me that chickens don't use their feet to hold 'prey' down while tearing it with their beaks.

This has puzzled me to. I was watching a hen trying to eat the back end of a dead mouse.
The mouse got thrown all over the place in the eating attempts. I held it down with my finger in the end because the whole business just looked incredibly frustrating.

 

[Ridgerunner]

Maybe they get more power with a peck than than a pull? Or maybe the shape of the beak is better for pecking than gripping and pulling.

 

[Shadrach]

Me too, and I am also puzzled that vultures, who can hold down their prey, don't carry small roadkill out of the road so they can eat in peace. Chickens are so good at carrying the prey in their beaks, they could learn from each other.....
I have one hen who will eat large hornworms that I pull off tomato plants. She will peck it and shake it, kill it, then swallow it whole. I thought they were toxic but she has eaten quite a few. No one else will touch them. She also has swallowed mice and small snakes, whole. The entire flock likes catching the plentiful cicadas and grasshoppers.

The Goshawks here do carry, or drag their prey to usually a more concealed site to eat.

 

[Shadrach]

I am training two broods of chicks to do some insect consumption rate experiments. First brood of 7 is 12 days old and second brood of 9 is 9 days old. At this time interest is in getting chicks used to going into a blue and otherwise featureless tank where they will be presented with meal worms. I am offering a range of sizes as that will be important later. Feeding them regular sized meal worms on down thus far has shown nothing out of the ordinary as the chicks are little gluttons on those. The fun is with the super meal worms. They are much are larger and tougher. The super meals worms are at least 10 times the size of anything I see my 1 to 2 week old chicks consume unless their mother helps kill and dismember it. When one super meal worm is added, there is the typical chasing and even what appears to be fighting over the meal worm. The interesting part involves making so each chick has a super meal worm. Every body grabs one and runs about periodically shaking the prey to kill and break it up. The thing is the super meal worm is consumed whole. Processing time looks to be real interesting when chicks in a group. Isolated chicks is where I want to go.

Can you carry out a similar experiment with adults and see if there is a major change in feeding technique?
It takes a while for the chicks here to gain better peck accuracy.

 

[aart]

Maybe they get more power with a peck than than a pull? Or maybe the shape of the beak is better for pecking than gripping and pulling.

I guess I just expect them to have more logic
They definitely don't have a BOP curved beak...but still.
Have seen them do the same when I toss large sunchoke plants in,
they grab and lift grab and lift...shm...put your foot on it!!

 

[centrarchid]

Give me a bit and I will make a video when doing a another acclimation run. Having a real busy morning, missed church and dog came into house after being sprayed by skunk. My wife did not notice smell this morning becuase she got used to it before waking up. She will be back in a little. If I survive video will be loaded.