My chickens are on a diet...

[LovinMyPeeps]

So my chicks eat like 6 year olds... you know the ones that will ONLY eat mac and cheese or nuggets??? I have tried grapes which got turned into soccer balls... same with cherry tomatoes both were also tried cut in half, lettuce, assorted greens and now I've even made them oatmeal (cooked) and boiled egg, and oatmeal with a touch of honey thinking maybe they have a sweet tooth. No go... bummer...

Any ideas anyone???

Kristen

 

[TXmom]

How old are they? I usually have to offer something more than once. The first time I gave them yogurt, they barely touched it....the next time I gave them yogurt with their food mixed in it, and a little bit of scratch...they looked at me like I was crazy. I just walked away and when I came back it was all gone

Usually, once 1 chick figures out that it's edible and yummy, then the everybody else wants it too. Then next time they see it, they'll eat it like it's the best dessert they ever had! LOL

 

[Leah-yes I know I'm crazy]

How old are they? I usually wait till about ten weeks before offering treats.

 

[LovinMyPeeps]

They're 2 weeks old.. a small piece of firm peasant loaf will keep their attention, but not much else

 

[TXmom]

I bet crickets would get their attention! LOL At that age, I gave mine the tiny ones from Petsmart. They were gone in just a few seconds!

 

[JennsPeeps]

I tried the tiny ones & found they weren't worth the money. Baby chicks - mine are 2 weeks ond - will gladly and easily devour the massive ones.

 

[chickflick]

I think at 2 wks old they should be on grower feed and nothing else just yet. They need the vitamins that are in that feed. I'd wait a few more weeks before offering them so much variety in their diet.

 

[JennsPeeps]

Since they're still very, very young, it takes patience to get them interested in other foods. It took mine a while to figure out crickets but once they did... whoa nelly!

I believe that a variety of treats in moderation is fine. If they were being raised by a mother hen, she'd be showing them worms, grass, bugs, and dirt. Mine have had crickets twice now. They went bonky for them. It's more for my amusement than their nutritional needs, and they won't get crickets often - it wind up being a pricey treat. I need to find a good source for the darn things.

Today I put a clump of grass, roots & all, into my brooder. They're not so sure what to do with it, but they'll figure out in time it's all edible.

Be sure to check out the treat chart in the "feeding/watering" section. It's a sticky at the top.

 

[LovinMyPeeps]

I don't give them treats excessively and only in small amounts. They are on a nice organic starter and doing very nicely on it, I just like to offer them something to mix it up a bit and supplement what they are already getting...

I will try the crickets thing next week when I'm over by the petsmart. That sounds like it would be vastly amusing

 

[BirdMom]

Ours have always gone nuts for clover leafs and bits of dandelion leaf dropped in for them. Rugby match, anyone?

If it's moving, they're much more likely to go for it, I've found. Something in their brains tells them to eat moving things, probably to get them to eat bugs. When ours wouldn't eat at first, I sprinkled some crumbles on the paper towel and tapped it so the crumbles bounced. That sure got their attention!

But yeah, anything new on a plate or in a bowl, they couldn't have cared less.