I'll jump in with what has worked for me thus far. I'm completely and totally new to chickens - I don't even know how old my chicks are. I think a little over a week. Chick days were the weekend before I got my chicks so I figure they are closing in on 2 weeks.
I've got 4 Buff Orp and 2 Barred Rock
Day 1 - Chick starter only
Day 2 - Chick starter only, but I noticed they were scratching and consuming little pieces of pine litter. I got very worried and started looking up snack ideas to give them something else to do.
Day 3 - Blades of grass. They were slow takers. The Barred Rocks were more interested in the grass than the buffs. I sprinkled it around to give them something to peck at besides litter. I cut some in tiny pieces.
Day 4 - by morning, every speck of grass was gone, so I decided more grass and some cooked oatmeal when I got home. Later on, grass was a huge hit. They plucked it right out of my hand. Cooked oatmeal was a loser. I could only get them interested into it by chopping up grass like chives and mixing it in, and then they would just pick out the grass and fastidiously clean their beaks. It got stuck everywhere and even though they got the hang of eating the oatmeal part and there were a few rounds of chickie keepaway, all in all it didn't seem fun/enjoyable for them to eat. It got on their feet and stuck to their feathers and I didn't want to create another problem. To make it I put 2 TBSP of oatmeal and water to cover, microwave until it starts to boil over and cool thoroughly.
Day 5 - This morning I gave them fresh grass, clover, and a couple pieces of dandelion. This was very exciting and everyone rushed to get some. They seem to enjoy taking it from me and dropping it as much as they do eating it. The biggest hit was 2 TBSP of uncooked oatmeal though! My chickies are in my bathtub, which I can see from the shower. I gave them the oatmeal and started getting ready for work. I have never seen so much chickie concentration! They stayed at the bowl until every last speck was gone.
Now I'm debating whether it's a good idea to sprinkle oatmeal over their bedding to give them something to do, and planning to pick up some sprayed millet on the way home if I can. Oatmeal will probably be the bribe of choice for learning how to be tame and friendly.
They will be a week old tomorrow. On Sunday, my DD's gave them some boxelder bugs. The chicks were frightened of them. My DD's then killed the bugs and gave them to the 3 chicks. Then the fun started. They loved them! Today, the chicks had their 1st earthworms. Yum! They had so much fun running and chasing, that I didn't really get to see if each one got a worm or if there was a "piggy" in the bunch. I figured if they were with momma, they would be getting that stuff anyway. I've been waiting until they are a week old before I try yogurt. I also gave them a "sand box" on Saturday. They look like they are doing very well. These chicks are California Whites. I will be getting my big batch of chicks on April 25th. 40 BO and 10 EE's.
