I did the UNTHINKABLE! Gave scratch to the chicks! HELP!

[NotTheMomma]

Quote:
They puke, and could get it in their lungs which could cause pneumonia.

BTW, the only dumb question is the one never asked. ;o)

 

[Chicken Woman]

I buy parakeet grit w out calcium for my chicks. The hen will eat it as well. I don't usually feed scratch but I do feed them a little parakeet feed (small seeds).

I hope your babies are ok

 

[mamanaturale]

i am sure they will be fine! we use greener pasture's whole grain chick starter recipe which has lots of whole grains. the only grain we grind is the corn because its bigger than their beaks if we don't! as long as they have grit, they should be good.

 

[cariboujaguar]

I didn't read all through this, but why do they need access to dirt?

 

[gpamela3499]

not dirt but sand and grit that is their teeth for grinding their food.

 

[cluckingcanadian]

Quote:
Chickens don't have teeth to break down the food into digestible pieces. Grit/dirt does the same for chickens as teeth does for us. HTH.

 

[birdlover]

If they sleep at night and don't eat, their crops will be empty in the morning if things are normal. That's how you tell if a grown chicken has impacted crop. It's always empty in the morning under normal circumstances.

 

[LoveMyBirds]

I have 8 little chicks free ranging with momma hen.. In the mornings I throw a mixture of chopped corn, scratch, and crumble out as I let everything out of their pens..

My little ones eata little of that , but mostly momma is scratching leaves at edge of woods for dirt, bugs and whatever their little eyes see to eat..

 

[firedove]

DO NOT feed oyster shell to your chicks. They can't handle that much calcium as babies. Use parakeet grit (without the calcium) or buy chick grit at a feed store. Some people use play sand as chick grit too.

 

[chickenguysmom]

Wow, I am learning sooooo much from everyone. I want to thank you for all the good bits of information. Does anyone out there think this happens more often with larger breeds? This was not our 1st time raising chicks (it is our 3rd, not experts by any stretch of the imagination) and this is the first time it has come up. The only difference is they are larger breeds. What does everyone think?