Diet question..

[Bak-Bak]

I have a female chick that's 7-8 weeks old. I don't know what breed she is.

I used to give her rice with some millet but now she doesn't eat it. She loves fruits and will eat any fruit I give her. I tried giving her some carrots but she didn't like it.

I think she may be on the thin side and may have to put on some weight but I have no idea what to feed her... Also, anything like chicken feed or anything made specially for chickens are out of the question. I'd have to order it online and it'd take around a month to be delivered and we currently don't have any way to order anything online.... Any suggestions?

 

[WhoDatChick]

Give her some dog or cat food soaked in water.. she needs some protein.. and she needs grit or access to outside.. sand, whatnot to digest her food.. and give veggies too.. lettuce, broccoli, cucumber... and her fruit.. but she needs protein..

 

[WhoDatChick]

And let her out to dig up bugs and worms...

 

[Bak-Bak]

Give her some dog or cat food soaked in water.. she needs some protein.. and she needs grit or access to outside.. sand, whatnot to digest her food.. and give veggies too.. lettuce, broccoli, cucumber... and her fruit.. but she needs protein..

Thanks for the reply

Cat/dog food isn't available where I live so I can't give her any of that. I let her out of her cage for at least 1 hour every day and she does peck at any small pebbles she finds. I gave her some cabbage and cucumber yesterday.

Can eggs works as a source of protein?

And let her out to dig up bugs and worms...

I let her dig around any dirt patch and she does find bugs but my yard (if you can even call it a yard) has mostly stones with some dirt patches here and there so I don't think she can find any worms...

 

[paneubert]

Where are you located?

 

[WhoDatChick]

Yes, feed her eggs..

 

[Bak-Bak]

Where are you located?

I am in Maldives

 

[paneubert]

I am in Maldives

Ok. Do dogs tend to just be fed table scraps and meat? Do cats get fed anything? Those same "foods" might be the first things to think about using as part of the chicken feed plan. They are not able to be substituted 100%, but chickens are omnivores, much like cats and dogs. Chickens eat snakes, rats, bugs, etc... along with their veggies. Fish might be a good thing to consider. I assume you have good access to fish since you live in the Maldives.

 

[Bak-Bak]

Ok. Do dogs tend to just be fed table scraps and meat? Do cats get fed anything? Those same "foods" might be the first things to think about using as part of the chicken feed plan. They are not able to be substituted 100%, but chickens are omnivores, much like cats and dogs. Chickens eat snakes, rats, bugs, etc... along with their veggies. Fish might be a good thing to consider. I assume you have good access to fish since you live in the Maldives.

Thanks for the suggestion. Maybe I'll try and give her some fish today

 

[rjohns39]

What other grains do you have available? Kelp is also a wonderful feed supplement. Eggs are only about 12% protein, but have a perfect combination of amino acids for chickens. Oily fish generally have a better omega 3/6 balance than leaner fish.