meal worms and treats

[mhay1]

I have just bought the dried mealworms and am wanting to give my 3 week old chicks a treat now and then. Do I need to break the meal worms into smaller pieces or just give them the whole worm?
Thanks so much.

 

[ChickenCanoe]

Throw a mealworm in there and see what happens.
You may want to bust them up for a while but see how they deal with them.

Are you providing chick grit?

 

[rosemarythyme]

When they were really little I broke whole worms into thirds or so, just to make them more manageable. They'll learn very quickly to break them into bite size pieces by smashing them. Once they figure it out you can just toss in whole ones and let them handle it themselves.

 

[mhay1]

Yes, I have been giving them chick grit. Is it better to add the grit into their crumbles or in a separate dish? When I put a small amount into a dish they eat it all up. Will they get too much grit?

 

[mpmb1227]

It doesn't make a big difference either way, chickens know instinctually how much of whatever they need; they likely won't over-feed on grit, as long as there is plenty of food available too. If you are concerned, only provide a little bit of grit several times throughout the day, but this is probably not necessary. However, on a side note, if they have access to the outdoors they will pick up grit by eating small stones. If their diet is mainly chick feed, grit is not a must as most chicken feeds are formulated to break apart on their own. I free range my chicks with their mom and still do not provide any grit whatsoever, because they get the grit they need for insects and plants when they are out, and only eat commercial feed when in the coop. That's just my method though, to each their own!