Is grit necessary for yogurt...

[dancingflower68]

and hard boiled egg yolk?

 

[dancingflower68]

p.s. They are 2 days old

 

[gryeyes]

No, grit is not necessary for those food items.

However. It's important for chicks to get their recommended daily protein, and when they are that small, any amount of non-feed treats will "take up" a significant amount of their total dietary intake. Commercial feed is carefully balanced. Too manta treats are not.

I usually wait 'til chicks are about 2 weeks old before I give them anything other than feed and water.

 

[dancingflower68]

Thanks for your help Gryeyes....I'm not giving them as treats though, they have pasty butt and I'm trying to get that cleared up and that was suggested.

 

[gryeyes]

My suggestions for pasty butt are to drop the temperature in the brooder, or at least provide a cooler spot for them to get into. Temperature too high is one of the culprits causing pasty butt.

Add some ACV to their water. If you happen to be putting sugar into their water, stop that. It's only for the first day or two at the most. A touch of ACV in their water is good for them any time.

Wash their little bottoms and apply some vegetable oil (olive, for example) to their vent areas, and maybe clip the fuzz just below the vent.

I've never given chicks food items to "cure" pasty butt. I believe stress from shipping, temperature too high and dehydration are contributors.

I've ONLY encountered pasty butt in shipped chicks - or feed store chicks, which were shipped to the feed store from the hatcheries. Chicks hatched at home in an incubator have never, ever exhibited the problem. Going from the incubator to a properly warmed brooder is a matter of being carried across the room. No stress. Happy little babies.

That's just been my experience.

 

[dancingflower68]

Hi Linda,
Yep, I lowered the temperature and they seem to like it around 90-92 instead of 95 like I had it. No harm will come at 90? Do you think I can use regular ACV, instead of raw? I've been using sav-a-chick in the water since I got them yesterday, and I was going to swtich to ACV, but I only have the filtered kind. They were shipped from My Pet Chicken, but they got here overnight. I've been washing there butts and keeping a close eye on them. Thanks for all your help! I appreciate it!