Good treats for baby chicks?

[BrewedInNh]

I've heard no onions or avocado. I'm not sure why.

I hadn't heard that onions are bad but I did hear that large amounts of the avocado skin is toxic. Also, raw potato skin is toxic.

 

[brianb88]

My chicks love oats. I crumble them up a bit and they will jump up in mine and my 6 year old son's hand to get at it. I introduced cornbread to them tonite..not so much.

 

[brianb88]

They are only 3 weeks old btw.

 

[Polla Chickie]

Thank u! I'm curious to see what my little ones would like!

 

[missnu01]

I'm new to this and trying to be as prepared as possible when the chicks arrive. I have a few questions about treats for baby chicks. I'm going to be tempted to spoil them right away and I want to do it in a way that won't harm them!

1. Is it better to wait as long as possible, at least to a week? I know things like hard boiled eggs have good protein, is that ok to give sooner?

2. Is it better to start them on soft treats that don't need grit, like yogurt and hard boiled eggs? What's the rule of thumb for what needs grit- if you could eat it without teeth, they can eat it without grit? Anything you'd give to a baby without teeth? Can they eat spaghetti without grit?

3. When's a good time to introduce foods that do need grit, and the grit itself?

4. When feeding yogurt, does it have to be a plain variety? I've seen pictures of adult hens eating what looked like blueberry yogurt. Can it be flavored? would chunks of fruit require grit?

Any more suggestions for favorite treats, and do they need grit, or not? I know about hard boiled eggs, yogurt, spaghetti and bugs (which do need grit, i know). I know people suggest oatmeal- is this cooked or raw?

I wait a week before giving anything but chick food, after a week I give them some grit and a few minutes later a little bit of something green, lettuce, spinach, turnip tops..stuff like that. It's better to give them grit and them not have needed it then to need it and have none in their gizzard. We use straw hay for bedding, and I like to give chicks grit because they will inevitably eat some of the straw...that stuff can sometimes cause some issues, but with grit no issues. Don't give it free choice, just sprinkle a little on their food once in a while..not everyday, but maybe every third day...they make chick grit. I got a tiny bag and it very well might last forever.

 

[missnu01]

My chicks are 1 week old, what about giving them grass clippings or dendelion flowers or a couple of spriggs from a spearmint plant?

grass yes, dandelions--yes...spearmint, not so much..I know adult chickens won't usually eat much off of plants in the mint family...and spearmint is obviously part of that genus.

 

[kada6305]

so my chicks are 2 weeks old with one being 1 week old. I have heard about cutting the heads off of mealworms? can they have other worms at this age? redworms? wax worms? crickets?

 

[Kaiwara Silkies]

Mashed potato, chopped up canned peaches and pears, canned peas and corn without salt, corn bread, and sunflowers are all favorites of my chicks. When I boiled eggs, I would crush the egg shells and feed as well. I waited til chicks were older before giving grit.

 

[kada6305]

wht about butterworms?

 

[chart]

I have 10 5 wk. old chicks. I am a cook as well as an Italian Grandma. Tell you anything? Needless to say my pets are spoiled. And healthy. Around a week I started giving mine a little chopped up dry oatmeal out of my hand. I'd read on this site about apple cider vinegar in the water so I offered them their choice and they like the vinegar/water way more. I 'cook' for them everyday. Here are some of the things I've given them (starting with when they were young to now, kind of in order) A little dry oatmeal everyday, I don't chop it now. In fact, chopping anything now causes a frenzy. They live in my house and can see through to the kitchen counter. Now, it doesn't matter when I grab the cutting board, it's mass hysteria. Plain yogurt, yogurt with mashed bananas, yogurt w/super-finely chopped apples, cooked oatmeal mixed with any previous foods. They've had rice mixed with all variations: oats, chopped herb salad, applesauce, mashed potatoes and carrots, smashed cornflakes, Cheerios, Rice Krispie's, chopped green beans and cheese. Nuts about spaghetti! The hard part is saying no to their begging, but you have to. I still give them a little dry oatmeal in the morning, but at dinnertime? They are definitely not picky eaters!