Feeding worries....

[ChickenKick]

Hey! I'm new and am just getting chickens for the first time this year on April 6th. (Really excited) 7 GL Wyandottes, 8 Partridge Wyandottes, and 10 SL W + 1 rare. We have been reading about feeding at an early age and such and found good chick starter at our feed supply, no grit that would be fine enough for new chicks. Would using clean sand be okay until they get big enough for the larger stuff? Thanks!

 

[KellyHM]

They don't need any grit unless they're breaking down whole grains or seeds. If you have them on chick starter they won't need it. Have fun with them!

 

[ChickenKick]

Thanks! That's nice not to worry about that, but I was wondering, they say that you should give your chickens fish meal or some sort of protein suppliment in their feed every month or more. Would just letting a bunch or cricket go it the run and/or giving them cooked ground meat sometimes be fine?(I've heard that's a big hit too.)

 

[digitS']

Quote:
A good starter should have everything, everything chicks need - really, until they are adults.

Usually, it is a good idea to transition them to a grower at about 8 weeks old. Chicks aren't very adventuresome in their diet until about then anyway. Feeding them a little yogurt during those early weeks can even be difficult. And, digestive disorders are the most likely problems with chicks so it is best to be very conservative with them.

Steve

 

[sandypaws]

i usually feed chick start crumble... offering them a small amount of some kind of sand/grit at a few weeks old..
and watching 2 day old chicks chase, catch and fight over small crickets is HOURS of entertainment,, better than HBO!!!!

 

[RendonRoo]

I mix yogurt with their crumbles so they will enjoy the treat but i know they are getting the other nurtients that come with the crumbles. If you feed too much of a treat they will fill up on it so this gives me a little piece of mind and they don't sling the yogurt all over the place. Good Luck

 

[ChickenKick]

lol Sorry I didn't reply before. I haven't been on in forever! That sounds like a really good idea. My chicks are only about a week old. Would it be okay to give them yogurt now? Or should we wait until they are a little more stable?

 

[kycklingmamma]

Chickenkick,

I had problems finding chick grit, the smaller size so I bought something called "gravel and grit" from the petstore, it says it is "for all petbirds" and you know what, our chicks are our pets and they are birds as well, voila!! It is basically sand and some larger particals so the size is good. I started all of our chicks, this year and last year on yogurt about a week to 2 weeks old. I put a small serving in a shallow lid or plate and sprinkle the grit stuff ontop and they go to town. I usually just give them the plain, unsweetened kind, but if for some reason my kiddos don't finish their breakfast I let them have the sweetened kind as well.
It is a mess and so much fun to watch.

Enjoy your chicks, Kycklingmamma

 

[ChickenKick]

Yeah we found a roll of stuff that is for pet birds so we put one sheet(about 1 ft.) down in the brooder and sprinkled some feed over it to make sutre they got some grit in them. They like eating it off the ground better anyway. Feeding them yogurt sounds fun and I definitely want to do it soon. I saw that if they tried to eat something that they decided wasn't supposed to be they will wipe their beaks on the newspaper. lol it's funny to watch. Thanks a lot for the info and advice!