Feeding baby chicks info

[WendyTestaburger]

You're welcome! I usually wait a week before giving them anything else, just because they are so fragile at first. The pics in the brooder have some 4 week old bantam chicks and 2 week old Easter eggers. They love to hop around on the wood and things. We pull up handfuls of grass every few days or so for them. They'll eat some, cover it up, and find it later! Lol. The pics in the grass are our 4 week old chicks. As soon as they don't need supplemental heat they are ready to go outside!

And depending on where you live that could be very soon! Day old chicks need 95-100 degrees to start, then decrease 5 degrees every week until they can be at room temp. Our outside Temps are pretty much heat lamp level right now!


I don't have our younger chicks out right now just because we don't have the room, we have to wait until other chicks grow up enough to go to the main pen.

Mine seem to like frozen peas and the baby cakes from tractor supply.

Hope this helps!! Let me know if you have any more questions!

Do you mind if I ask what kind of fencing that is?

 

[Hannahnic14]

Do you mind if I ask what kind of fencing that is?

Not at all! It's hen pen from premier1supplies.com. it's definitely an investment but we love it!

 

[HighlandRogue]

Yeah. I live in Central Florida on the Nature Coast. It's 95 during the day and about 75 at night. I give them a heat lamp for a few hours during the early morning hours. I think I'll give them sticks now and next Sunday (at 4 weeks) I'll start giving them squares of grass to shred... Thanks again!

 

[WendyTestaburger]

Not at all! It's hen pen from premier1supplies.com. it's definitely an investment but we love it!

Thank you!

 

[My Very First 6 Chickens]

Hi, I was reading through pertinent threads as I have qty.9 ~3+ week old Brown Leghorns. I converted an extra large dog crate to serve as a brooder box using 1/2" hardware cloth. Should I put a stick or something for them to climb on in the crate? I do know they live to scratch around in the bedding! I put 3 inches of bedding in the crate and they go crazy flinging it around!! Any other suggestions? Thanks!!

I made a little roost for them and brought them gifts of sod from outside. Make sure the grass attached is short short! I was doing that for mine at that age and they seemed appropriate. Scratching, pecking and normal.

 

[AntiqueB]

If you have any fencing that they can't get through, you can even take them outside for a few minutes. They'll love to scratch around and explore grass, rocks, and bugs. Mine destroyed an ant nest in a couple days at around 3 weeks old.

 

[aart]

brought them gifts of sod from outside

Don't forget to sprinkle some chick sized grit on the chunk of sod.

 

[rosemarythyme]

Is that live or dead mealworms? We have some great pet stores here that I can get live meal worms, super worms, wax worms ect. (My pet dragon loves them)

I use dried, because I'm completely grossed out by any sort of bugs and dried mealworms are about all I can handle touching. But I'm sure they'd love live ones!

I sometimes feed dried black soldier fly larvae to my adults but I never touch them, I'm just so grossed out... I sprinkle them on the ground directly out of the container.