Ideas please!

[happyhen]

The weather here has been so chilly and wet I can't take the 4 week old "kids" outside to play.

Any ideas on how to bring the outdoors in? Should I even worry about it and just wait for warmer weather? Or should I just take them outside for 5-10 mins?

All ideas are welcome at this point!

 

[ChickenToes]

I'm in the same boat right now with my 4 weeks olds. If the day is warm enough and the sun is out, I think they'd be fine for awhile. After all, when a mama hen raises her chicks, they're outside from day 1.

 

[Adri]

I was wondering the same thing too. Whenever a feather flies into the air about 3 or 4 of them jump for it, and yesterday, one of them got a damp piece of wood shaving and started running around with it, they all got excited thinking it was rather wormlike. They already have the instincts, I'm sure they'd love to be outside. But it is just too cold for them here.

Does anybody know at what age we could start giving them some crickets? Worms? Grass?

 

[gritsar]

I started with some hard boiled egg at about a week and a half; crickets at about age 2 weeks, but only a few (for 21 chickens). Now at 5 1/2 weeks I give them frequent treats (once every other day usually), but only in small amounts. Here's what I give: crickets when I find them in the yard, cheerios, wild strawberries (a favorite) and millet (another favorite). I know they don't need their diet supplemented, but it does seem to ease their boredom. They like to play keep away. When mine are out in the yard they find all kinds of goodies to eat. I haven't given them any worms yet. I'd like to, but I can't find any in the yard and I can imagine my SO going thru the roof if I went to Walmart and bought fishing worms.
Remember, eating foods other than their chick starter and they'll need some grit.

 

[happyhen]

Thanks everyone for the advice. I just went out and dug up a wet and chilly dandelion for them to play with in the brooder.

Hopefully we'll see some sunny days above 60 degrees soon and the "kids" can play outside for a little.

 

[Tikkajazz94]

I have sun like crazy,
I my RIR chicks are coming on the 29.

 

[bionic_chicken]

I've been bringing in a hunk of turf, dirt and all, since week one. The advice I've seen on the forum previously recommends a dirt clod out of their future run, dirt, weeds, everything. My girls love it and go bananas! They will be 4 weeks Monday. I bring in about a dinner plate-sized clod. They have so much fun, and when someone digs out a worm, whoa! The ladies go crazy!

 

[Tikkajazz94]

Yeah, My boilers last year went crazy,
they also ran funny, it was funny seeing them run,My problem last year was a dog going after and not feeding them a lot,