I'm stumped: treats for 1 week old chicks

[Ravishaw]

So... update:

The 3 barred rocks are by far the bravest of my 12 chicks. I will deposit something in their brooder, and one imparticularly will run up to it and investigate. If I happen to have been handling another chick, and ma putting IT back, the same barred rock will run up to peck toes. ???

Last night about six o'clock I put a hard boiled egg in the brooder. The chicks ran up to it, walked through it, stood in it, scratched it out of the little plastic bowl I had it in, and then sort or pecked it. The RIR chicks would look at it and start wiping their beaks on the wood shavings. Huh! Eventually enough would peck and peck, get bored, come back, peck again, that they ate it, or buried it beneath the wood shavings.

They don't like cauliflour. No interest in tomatos or yogurt. One of the RIR's did watch ironman with me a few nights ago huddled on my chest and getting excited when the movie got louder.

 

[Rachel'sFlock]

My four week old Australorps are all terrified of red foods. They won't go near a strawberry, watermelon or anything else that's red. I get so excited, making new treats for them to try, and mincing them into little pieces, then they just run away from the area.
Give 'em a cooked noodle or a worm, tho, and look out! Hilarity ensues.
I expect when they get older, they might not be so choosy...?
Bright Blessings
Rachel

 

[Cyncady]

My little girls were not very interested in the smashed up strawberry and they also ran to the corner when I put my hand in, so I just dipped my fingers in water and then in their mash and once they figured out there was food on my hand they got WAAAY into it. Gave up on the strawberry for awhile and reintroduced about a week later and now they like it...and they will hop up on my hand to eat mash out of my palm.

 

[RentalDude44]

These are our first chicks. We have 10. At 4 days old we chopped up some leftover zucchini very small. The loved it, we were entertained by the keep-away that ensued. Next day we added a little chopped up lettuce. They went nuts for the zucchini first then ate the lettuce too. We also gave them some very small worms cut into small worm-bits. At 8 days old, small bits of leftover spaghetti noodles, they loved it. 9 days old they got their first scrambled egg. We give them these very small quantities of all the treats only once or twice a day. We love them and they are starting to love us back!

 

[minaayindra]

Popcorn is okay for 1 week olds? I gave mine some chopped up carrot shred pieces and they all hated them. What they loved, however, was grabbing a piece and running while everyone else would chase them. I think I put 20 pieces in but somehow the only desirable one was whatever a chick picked up and ran with. These guys are hysterical! I’d like to try the noodles next but I’m always worried about any creature so young...

 

[HopeSprings]

I didn't start with treats until they were close to 2weeks old, and that was broccoli. They love it, and lettuce and peas, all from my garden! Will have to try some shredded carrot next!

 

[minaayindra]

I think you were right to start at 2 weeks. The chick grit says they have to be 2 weeks or older and, since grit is apparently essential to eating anything but the starter feed, I will just have to wait another week to be on the safe side. I can imagine the peas are a big hit!