First Time Chick Parents, Spring 2016

[Jensownzoo]

Questions:

How old do the chicks need to be before they can spend some time outside supervised? You can do it at any time, but I would keep it shorter the younger they are so they are not away from their heat source for long enough to become chilled.

How old do they need to be to be given some dried mealworms? Do they need chick grit with it? You can also do it at any time, although you may have to crush them up into smaller pieces. I usually wait until they are a week old to start giving treats, just to make sure their digestion is working properly but that is personal preference. They will need grit.

 

[athomas718]

Grit can be like sand right?

 

[Jensownzoo]

Grit can be like sand right?

Play sand is too smooth to do much grinding, but builder's sand can be used for chicks.

 

[Blondie1026]

Hey! My eggs are due to hatch in 2-3 days, this is my first time hatching and raising chicks. How do you guys offer grit? In a feeder or just a bowl?

 

[kekstrom]

Once I offer grit, I just mix it into their food.... they love to peck through the crumbles to find their grit.

 

[0wen]

Hey! My eggs are due to hatch in 2-3 days, this is my first time hatching and raising chicks. How do you guys offer grit? In a feeder or just a bowl?

I don't mix grit with feed. I offer it in a separate container in the run. In most small flocks, and small dish would do. You could probably even scatter it on the ground in your run - it doesn't take a lot, but allowing them access to some all the time is generally a good idea. Once they have access to the ground - they'll get some grit naturally and it's arguable if you even need to offer commercial grit. It doesn't hurt to do so, and the price of a bag is negligible...

 

[Jensownzoo]

When I tried offering grit to chicks in a bowl they gorged on it like it was their feed, so I switched to sprinkling it on whatever I was offering that required grit to digest. After they're big enough to go in the outside pens, I just toss some on their bedding every once in a while and they find it when scratching around. They get to free range at least a few hours daily, so I'm sure they're finding their own as well.

 

[nelsonmenajr1]

Got my very first chicks ever this afternoon. Looking forward to organic eggs. Jersey Giants. Now I'm busy building a coop! LOL!

 

[Blondie1026]

Thanks for the advice all! I'll have to give each method a try and see what works best for me!

 

[athomas718]

What kind do you use? I think for now I might get a bowl of sand from out back and make sure it's coarse enough until I can find something better.