Good treats for baby chicks?

[alexa009]

My chicks are really picky about what they eat. The only thing they go crazy over is their chick starter. No strawberries, bread, etc. They don't start taking interest in this until they are at least 12 weeks. The other things they eat as chicks is really just sweets.
They always went crazy over the horses sweet feed. Its a sticky feed that contains raisins, sugar oats etc.

 

[Threewyandottes]

Ive heard that finger millet or ragi (grains) are very good to feed chicks as a treat.

 

[CannedMonster]

I just did what a mom would do. She has them out digging in the dirt a couple of days after hatching. If she finds an interesting little tidbit, they eat it too. Bugs, dirt, chicken poop, weeds, grasses - they are nibbling on all of it at just a few days old. She's not peeling, coring and chopping their apples or fussing over germs on their food. So I don't either. When I kept chicks in the house, they got a clump of sod right out of the garden or yard (whichever was less frozen and easiest to dig up) plopped into their brooder. Guess I'm a baaad chicken mama!

@Blooie
I love your approach!
How young are your chicks when you give them sod?
We bought our property in August of 2017 and I have no idea if the previous owners used chemicals.
I suspect they did because there isn’t a weed anywhere.
Should I wait on the sod?
My chicks will be here in mid May.

 

[PouleNoire]

Personally I would be a little skeptical on the sod if there's no weeds around...especially if you haven't had the house long.

 

[tomfromsc]

I started giving my chicks treats at about 1 week old. The first was a slice of tomatoe, which they loved. I put it on a paper towel and set it in the brooder box and they went after it right away. There is alot of water in tomatoes so I figured it couldn't hurt them. The next thing I tried was craisins that I had cut in very small pieces. They went nuts over those too. Now they are almost 6 weeks old and I give them lettuce, squash, mushrooms, sliced oranges, melon, apples, avocados, raisins, grass clippings, bread, frozen raspberries, cucumbers, etc. The only thing I would not give them is potatoe peelings and any form of chicken. I have given them hard cooked eggs. I do not buy any of the above at full price; however, I do go to our local food distribution every two weeks at 6:00 a.m. and help unload a truck full of nearly expired food and then buy a share for $14 just so that I can have 'fresh' food to feed my chickens. I also give them whatever table scraps we have left, which isn't many---too many big eaters at my house.

They come running when they see me coming with their treats!

I have read here that citrus is a no/no ?? is it all citrus or only some...

 

[gator75]

Caught a dozen or so tiny roaches (around 1/4") and dropped them in their cage. Wow, they went crazy for them. They chase and eat and fight over them just like my grown hens. Amazing that at less than two weeks old they have that speed and instinct.

 

[JINTZ]

I started giving my chicks treats at about 1 week old. The first was a slice of tomatoe, which they loved. I put it on a paper towel and set it in the brooder box and they went after it right away. There is alot of water in tomatoes so I figured it couldn't hurt them. The next thing I tried was craisins that I had cut in very small pieces. They went nuts over those too. Now they are almost 6 weeks old and I give them lettuce, squash, mushrooms, sliced oranges, melon, apples, avocados, raisins, grass clippings, bread, frozen raspberries, cucumbers, etc. The only thing I would not give them is potatoe peelings and any form of chicken. I have given them hard cooked eggs. I do not buy any of the above at full price; however, I do go to our local food distribution every two weeks at 6:00 a.m. and help unload a truck full of nearly expired food and then buy a share for $14 just so that I can have 'fresh' food to feed my chickens. I also give them whatever table scraps we have left, which isn't many---too many big eaters at my house.

They come running when they see me coming with their treats!

I thought Avocados and all citrus foods were a nono? I'm new too

 

[ChickenyChickeny]

I give my chickens raisins, and they like to peck cherries off a bush in my yard in the spring☺

 

[Smr]

My chicks love crushed freeze dried meal worms. White millet is another favorite.

 

[FamilyFarm12]

Hello do the chicks need grit to eat these treats? This question was probably already answered