Feeding baby chicks

[Chickengene]

How early can I give my chicks some food scraps and/or scratch?

 

[Chick-N-Fun]

Would wait a couple of weeks before feeding them anything but starter crumbles. Before they can eat anything else, they must have grit.
Best wishes and have lots of fun with your fuzz babies!

 

[azygous]

You can give scraps, in extremely limited amounts as soon as you give the chicks some chick grit (about the consistency of sand) and they ingest enough to outfit their gizzards to digest it.

Keep in mind that chicks in the first couple weeks are so tiny they need their food to be fine. The exception is meal worms. They will suck those down as long as you keep them coming. Resist the temptation. Even with suitable grit, a chick can overeat and get constipated. This is one reason you want to feed mostly chick food.

 

[chickens really]

Momma definitely doesn't limit what they eat. Give treats every couple of days. Start with one thing like a piece of cucumber and supply Grit in the form of pebbles..

 

[Chickengene]

Momma definitely doesn't limit what they eat. Give treats every couple of days. Start with one thing like a piece of cucumber and supply Grit in the form of pebbles..

I don't know this grit of which you speak. Can I purchase it at my local farm supply?
Can I simply mix some in their starter feed?

 

[azygous]

Grit can be bought at your feed store. Look for "Chick Grit". It will be about the consistency of sand. I have a sand substrate in my coops and runs so I don't need to buy it. The qualifier on grit is sharpness. Rounded particles are of no use in digestion. So clay soils offer little in the way of suitable grit, and chickens on clay soil need you to provide it.

It's not necessary to mix it into the food, although you can. I just toss it on the ground and chickens pick up what they need. Even in the first week, baby chicks are hunting for grit, and they will consume what they need and not eat any more than that until they need to replenish the supply in their gizzards.

 

[Chickengene]

Grit can be bought at your feed store. Look for "Chick Grit". It will be about the consistency of sand. I have a sand substrate in my coops and runs so I don't need to buy it. The qualifier on grit is sharpness. Rounded particles are of no use in digestion. So clay soils offer little in the way of suitable grit, and chickens on clay soil need you to provide it.

It's not necessary to mix it into the food, although you can. I just toss it on the ground and chickens pick up what they need. Even in the first week, baby chicks are hunting for grit, and they will consume what they need and not eat any more than that until they need to replenish the supply in their gizzards.

My chicks are two weeks old and stones a box in my laundry room so I may try mixing some with their feed.
Just out of curiosity; I happen to have most of a 50# bag of play sand from another project, not sure about the shape or sharp edges of it though.
Maybe you do?

 

[azygous]

Sometimes play sand isn't suitable. You need to look at the particles under a magnifying glass. If it has sharp edges instead of round, it's suitable as grit. If you have kids, they should have one in their toy mess somewhere.

 

[aart]

I don't know this grit of which you speak. Can I purchase it at my local farm supply?
Can I simply mix some in their starter feed?

http://www.jupefeeds-sa.com/documents/GraniteGrit.pdf.

I bought about a 2 gallon bag of granite grit from the local mill, they put it in their chicken scratch. Ran it thru a colander with 1/16" holes. Bagged the smaller stuff for the chicks and sprinkle some over a chunk of sod in the brooder during the second week.