kefir or kombucha for baby chicks??

[samana]

Has anyone here tried feeding baby chicks milk kefir, water kefir or kombucha (the homemade kind)? And how early/how much can be given?

I'm having trouble finding much info on this, even on these forums etc.

It may be a little crazy to avoid medicated chick feed since this is my first time, but I would like to feed unmedicated chick crumbles (probably purina this time around, my own mix in the future), and am thinking any of these cultures might be a great supplement to prevent coccidiosis. I have read about adding some drops raw acv to their water as well - not sure if this would be overkill with all the probiotics too or not.

Is it possible to give too many probiotics at too young an age, such as soaking their food in milk kefir and adding water kefir to their water (a day or two old, etc, where it might be a bit of an overload on their systems). I will be picking them up just hatched at the nursery, so they will be only a day old.

I appreciate all your thoughts and time!

 

[Hopeful Peacock]

I am interested in answers to your question. I wonder if people don't know what you are talking about? Maybe you could reporst saying Yogurt and Kombucha fermented tea? Just an idea.

 

[Coldweatherbirds]

We drink kefir and I've wondered that too, but haven't tried it. Some people give their chickens milk and yogurt, but I don't know what age they start at.

 

[samana]

yes exactly this is why I wondering, I see everywhere that yogurt is fantastic - but at what point? 24 hours old, 2 weeks old? I read that acv (raw apple cider vinegar) with the mother in it is great in their water - which would be very similar to kombucha (which is also a mother, in sugar/tea water instead of cider. Hope someone around here knows what we're talking about!

 

[tgperg]

For what it's worth, I know what you're talking about. I grew Kombucha for a while till it tried to take over my whole house.

What I don't know, however, is whether you can give any of that stuff to chicks and if so, what age. I'm interested though!

Traci

 

[snazzyboots]

i would think kefir is fine since it is similar to yogurt but i'm not sure about the kombucha. i doubt it would hurt but i don't know. do you give it to any of your other animals? i am planning on using un medicated feed to for mine. good luck

 

[Barbara Kolohe]

Hmm, never heard of giving chickens tea. You have me wondering about the keifer tho. Im new and someone responded on my hello thread that I have to give my turkeys more protein than that chickens. Does kefir have high protein? I dont have a bottle on hand at the moment I only buy it when I need it as I dont really like it much compared to plain yogurt. Cant seem to find a store here that sells it plain, they all have fruit

 

[galanie]

I've given mine Kefir twice and they are 5 weeks old. I am afraid to give them very much because too much calcium is bad for them. They don't really like it that much anyway, not like my hens do. And I would think kombucha would have too much sugar in it to be a good thing for them to have.

 

[samana]

Quote:
its more like vinegar than tea - with a little sugar too. It had me wondering because I've read adding a touch of acv is good, and adding a touch of sugar can be helpful too (in the water), and kombucha has both. Maybe I will just stick with the acv though for now... as kombucha does have caffeine from green tea and not so sure that'd be good atleast for baby chicks.

kefir would have the same protein as whatever milk you're making it with, unless you strained it to make a cheese which would be high fat high protein.

I hate to try this out on my own since this is my first time around, hopefully someone here has already given this a shot with baby chicks

 

[Marshyboy]

I feed my chickens kefir most days mixed through with their food. I began to do this when two of my flock got sour crop, not only did the kefir clear up the sour crop but my girls are all now in rude health some six months later. I cant recommend it enough for the digestive well being of the flock. Acv is another additive i give and the plummage on my girls has been transformed