How much treats is too much treats? Specifically sweet treats (grapes) for chicks.

[chickendadma]

Hi there! I've looked around but have had trouble getting a good sense of what 'moderation' versus 'too much' looks like when feeding grape pieces to my little chicks.

They love them and I enjoy the opportunity to work on socializing them a bit, but I definitely don't want to overload their little systems with too much sugar.

I have 4 chicks that are 2.5 weeks old. I like to cut the grape up into little bite-sized pieces so there's plenty to go around. But i'm worried, is it 'too much' to give them a grape or two a day between the four of them? Should it not be every day? I understand and agree with what folks are saying about moderation with treats, but I'm trying to get a sense for what exactly moderation looks like in this situation.

Thanks!

 

[gatorshark75]

Hi there! I've looked around but have had trouble getting a good sense of what 'moderation' versus 'too much' looks like when feeding grape pieces to my little chicks.

They love them and I enjoy the opportunity to work on socializing them a bit, but I definitely don't want to overload their little systems with too much sugar.

I have 4 chicks that are 2.5 weeks old. I like to cut the grape up into little bite-sized pieces so there's plenty to go around. But i'm worried, is it 'too much' to give them a grape or two a day between the four of them? Should it not be every day? I understand and agree with what folks are saying about moderation with treats, but I'm trying to get a sense for what exactly moderation looks like in this situation.

Thanks!

you shouldn't be giving chicks that young anything but starter feed they cant digest anything else and it can really make them sick if they get ahold of something they shouldn't have

 

[gatorshark75]

there is a chart of treats you can give older chickens and grown chickens on here just go to the search bar and look it up

 

[kherring]

I agree with gator shark. I don't think it's really wise to give them treats that young, but all i have to go on is that they are little and so new. Maybe I'm wrong.

 

[gatorshark75]

I agree with gator shark. I don't think it's really wise to give them treats that young, but all i have to go on is that they are little and so new. Maybe I'm wrong.

no your right and ive hatched hundreds of chicks and always gave them straight starter feed until they are fully feathered and old enough to be in the outside coops then they can eat natural food and get the grit they need in their craw to be able to grind up food

 

[subhanalah]

Hi there! I've looked around but have had trouble getting a good sense of what 'moderation' versus 'too much' looks like when feeding grape pieces to my little chicks. 

They love them and I enjoy the opportunity to work on socializing them a bit, but I definitely don't want to overload their little systems with too much sugar. 

I have 4 chicks that are 2.5 weeks old. I like to cut the grape up into little bite-sized pieces so there's plenty to go around. But i'm worried, is it 'too much' to give them a grape or two a day between the four of them? Should it not be every day? I understand and agree with what folks are saying about moderation with treats, but I'm trying to get a sense for what exactly moderation looks like in this situation.

Thanks!

So long as you provide adequate grit for the chicks, they can have small treats of food that is safe for chickens to eat.

Starting to socialize them with treats from your hand teaches them that you are the mother hen and they can trust things that you give them. This is similar to when the biological mother hen finds goodies and calls the babies over to eat it. This starts sometimes less than 24 hours after hatching!

Treats should not make up any more than 10% of their diet, so I assume that is what is considered "moderation". I try to vary the treats I give. Instant oatmeal (dry, scattered for something they can scratch), collard greens, bell pepers, raisins, superworms, pre-killed fuzzy mice. Not all on one day, obviously,but they are really starting to trust the new things I give them.
Yesterday was their first time with bell pepper, and it took me less than a day to get them to actually eat it. They would peck at it, shake it and pull it apart then drop it, but after persistence, they got a taste for it and started fighting over it.
It took me two days to get them to eat collard greens and a week and a half to get them to eat the worms!

They really liked the fuzzy mouse though, there was no encouragement needed for that.

Sounds like two grapes between the four of them could be good or too much, depending on how much they eat. Maybe you can skip a day just to be sure. Also, try other things, it's good for the chickens and fun for you!

 

[Sonya9]

They really liked the fuzzy mouse though, there was no encouragement needed for that.

LOL so you are even feeding them your snake's food. Yeah I thought about doing that too, I have pinkies that are getting a bit of freezer burn, when the chicks are older I know they would love them so no worries about waste! Plus the mice I buy are irradiated so they are probably cleaner and safer than most other foods.

Chickendadma I am also new at this, like you I want to hand feed the chicks as a way of bonding. If that is the case then why not feed them other treats besides just grapes? When mine were 2 weeks we started with a bit of egg yolk, then tried pasta, oatmeal, etc... If you are giving them grape twice a day what about half a grape once a day and a little pasta or something else during the second hand feeding?

 

[chickendadma]

I am giving them some other treats too like kale, dandelion greens, lettuce, and the occasional bug that I find around the house. They should have access to plenty of grit -- one of them tried dust bathing in the grit dish so I decided to put a whole little box of dirt from the yard in their brooder for them to eat and bathe in.

The reason I'm so excited about giving them grapes is because they love them so much. They don't really get excited about the greens, but they'll eat them after a little bit of thought. That's why I figured the grapes are better for bonding, while the greens are just better for them nutritionally.

Are there any other easy to come by treats that are good for bonding so I can mix it up some? I can't really afford to go out and buy mealworms, and I don't have a thing set up to grow them. I'm gluten-free so I don't really eat pasta.

 

[subhanalah]

Anything that's good for you is good for the chickens (primarily). My little ones go crazy for the greens as long as I'm holding them, they like to tear it off while I grip it in my fingers. They do the same with raisins and the bell peppers. You can try small pieces of cheese, brown rice, etc.

 

[bjerro]

So long as you provide adequate grit for the chicks, they can have small treats of food that is safe for chickens to eat.

Starting to socialize them with treats from your hand teaches them that you are the mother hen and they can trust things that you give them. This is similar to when the biological mother hen finds goodies and calls the babies over to eat it. This starts sometimes less than 24 hours after hatching!

Treats should not make up any more than 10% of their diet, so I assume that is what is considered "moderation". I try to vary the treats I give. Instant oatmeal (dry, scattered for something they can scratch), collard greens, bell pepers, raisins, superworms, pre-killed fuzzy mice. Not all on one day, obviously,but they are really starting to trust the new things I give them.
Yesterday was their first time with bell pepper, and it took me less than a day to get them to actually eat it. They would peck at it, shake it and pull it apart then drop it, but after persistence, they got a taste for it and started fighting over it.
It took me two days to get them to eat collard greens and a week and a half to get them to eat the worms!

They really liked the fuzzy mouse though, there was no encouragement needed for that.

Sounds like two grapes between the four of them could be good or too much, depending on how much they eat. Maybe you can skip a day just to be sure. Also, try other things, it's good for the chickens and fun for you!

How do you provide grit to the chicks when giving them treats? Is the grit in their starter feed not enough?