Dried crickets for chicks

[Tamma]

My chicks are 1 month old and I have been giving them meal worms for a week or so. I bought live crickets (mini) and they had a blast. My question is about dried crickets. I gave them a few in a little dish and they seemed to pick them up and drop them a lot before they finally ate them. Should I be softening the crickets in water before feeding since they are so young??
Also, how often should you give chicks treats? Thanks so much!

 

[spartacus_63]

Chickens are self sufficient out of the egg. Grit is a concern for some folks with young chicks, but that is an easy fix. You certainly do not need to soak the crickets before feeding them to your babies. What mother hen would do is break some of them up for the babies. The reaction you described is typical of chickens that are seeing new food items. We call it the "Scary Food" reaction.

 

[Tamma]

Thanks much! I will break them in half while the chicks are little...

 

[Tamma]

Oh, about the grit. I was giving them grit when I had them in the house and they ate mealworms. Since they are outside, their run is almost like beach sand. I think from reading this site that they will use the sand for grit. The "scary food" syndrome.. maybe that is why they didn't really go for the yogurt when I tried it. Thanks!

 

[spartacus_63]

Yep. Sand will take care of the grit issue and I agree on the yogurt thing too. New food doesn't have to be hairy to be scary to a chicken.

 

[galanie]

I wouldn't worry about breaking them in half. If you've ever watched a broody with babies in the yard, you've seen them swallow some incredibly large bugs! She'll give them monster sized bugs and the little buggers manage to down them somehow!

 

[Tamma]

Thanks! I broke the crickets up last night and they played with them anyway even though they were smaller. I won't bother anymore. I think they sometimes like just throwing their food around...

 

[galanie]

hehe Tell those kids to quit playing with their food!