help me with my chicks

[Please help me]

hello,
i resently got 6 heritage-x chicks, my baby's are now 2 weeks old and just DEVOUR all the chick starter i give them!! (we are also running outta food)
i was wondering what treats to give my little baby's as i have heard very mixed answers and i wanted to hear it from all of you.
is it ok to give chicks treats?
if so what treats?
is it ok to start giving them scraps?
please help me, i'm just a worried mama!
thanks.

 

[Tre3hugger]

Chicks can munch on chopped up boiled eggs, mealworms, earth worms, most chopped veggies, and lots of other stuff. It is imperative that if you feed ANYTHING other than the chick starter, you also give them grit so they can process the treats. I got a pound of granite grit(they called it grower grit) at my local co-op for .57 cents. It was a little large so I just smashed it with a ball peen hammer through the bag to give me a nice mix of sized pieces. If you have access to sand or small gravel that could also work. I then put the grit on a piece of weedy sod, root ball and all, I grabbed from my yard. This simple piece of earth serves many purposesrovides some entertainment and maybe the occasional tiny bug for the birds decreasing boredom feeding, Gives them some greenery to munch and snack on, Introduces them to the nematode community and other microscopics living in your yard so they can begin to build immunity, provides a delivery vehicle for the grit, and it's completely adorable to see the chicks cautiously approach, and eventually devour their new "toy."

Hope this helped. Enjoy the birds!

 

[Please help me]

hello,
i resently got 6 heritage-x chicks, my baby's are now 2 weeks old and just DEVOUR all the chick starter i give them!! (we are also running outta food)
i was wondering what treats to give my little baby's as i have heard very mixed answers and i wanted to hear it from all of you.
is it ok to give chicks treats?
if so what treats?
is it ok to start giving them scraps?
please help me, i'm just a worried mama!
thanks...........
OH i knew there was something i had forgotten,
my chicks keep rolling around in the dirt and there bedding as if there trying to scratch or something, is this normal or is there something i should do?
thanks again guys

Chicks can munch on chopped up boiled eggs, mealworms, earth worms, most chopped veggies, and lots of other stuff. It is imperative that if you feed ANYTHING other than the chick starter, you also give them grit so they can process the treats. I got a pound of granite grit(they called it grower grit) at my local co-op for .57 cents. It was a little large so I just smashed it with a ball peen hammer through the bag to give me a nice mix of sized pieces. If you have access to sand or small gravel that could also work. I then put the grit on a piece of weedy sod, root ball and all, I grabbed from my yard. This simple piece of earth serves many purposesrovides some entertainment and maybe the occasional tiny bug for the birds decreasing boredom feeding, Gives them some greenery to munch and snack on, Introduces them to the nematode community and other microscopics living in your yard so they can begin to build immunity, provides a delivery vehicle for the grit, and it's completely adorable to see the chicks cautiously approach, and eventually devour their new "toy."

Hope this helped. Enjoy the birds!

Thank you Tre3hugger
i will try this

 

[EmilyRobb]

@Please help me I feed my chicks a wide variety of things. I'll put them outside for little intervals of time on warm days so they can eat things like bugs from the grass. Inside, I'll feed them mealworms, crickets, earth worms, grass clippings, strawberries, blueberries, scrambled/hard boiled eggs, watermelon, and a large assortment of similar items. When they're raised in the wild or with a mother hen outside, they'll really eat whatever they find so surely the restrictions aren't overly tight

 

[Missythechickenlady]

If you give any treats make sure they are small. I would aviod giving earthworms as they can get clogged in throat. Only small chopped meal worms and other things with grit. Like scrambled eggs.

 

[EmilyRobb]

@Missythechickenlady I didn't mention but all of the food items that I listed always get portioned into pieces that a chick could handle, so the worms are cut into smaller pieces

 

[AngelaY]

A good treat for chicks and chickens is called "suet" it's super easy to make. You just mix things like finely chopped nuts, meal worms, grit, their normal chick feed, bird seed, peanut butter, and basically anything else you can think of with a bunch of bacon grease, then spread it on a cookie sheet and put it in the freezer to harden. After it's hard you chop it into big squares and put it in a suet cage. My flock LOVES it and the fat keeps them warm in the winter so it's just super awesome. You can look for recipes with better instructions and measurements online.

 

[NewBoots]

Just remember that treats shouldn't be more that 10% of their food so do buy more chick starter feed. And start the new bag of feed before the last one is empty, and mix them together since sudden changes can cause problems. @Tre3hugger's suggestions were right on, make sure they have grit before treats.

 

[Please help me]

thank-you i will give my chicks some chopped up cabbage with scrambled egg