My chicks are really weird - or are they?

[Hummingbird Hollow]

How old are your chicks?

 

[jbs]

I'm very new to all this, my chicks are only 4 weeks old, but I've been giving them hardboiled egg from day one, which they love. After a week or so I started mixing tiny bits of other stuff (corn, peas, carrots, edamame) in with the hb egg, and they'd gobble up the eggs at first, but once that was gone they'd experiment with the other stuff. They always eat everything, maybe because it tastes like the egg. Now there are a few things that they fight over almost as much as the eggs, like tomatoes. They love tomatoes. And bugs that I find in my garden. Those cute little chicks turn into cold blooded killers when it comes to insects.

 

[TheSpiceGirls]

Mine were really picky too. Try cooked spaghetti noodles. I cooked them a few minutes longer so they were nice and soft and then I'd dangle one above them. I'm sure that instinct kicked in that it was a worm and they would go CRAZY to get the noodles. We really had to restrain ourselves not to do this every day with them because it was so much fun.

 

[RedDrgn]

Ours love mealworms, watermelon, cantaloupe, and grass....especially mealworms and grass.

I guess you just have to keep trying new things to figure out what they do like.

 

[al6517]

Instead of trying a bunch of crazy idea's to get them to eat treats to early, why not just wait. I just don't see the emergency in forcing them to accept treats before their ready. So many folks force treats and then end up over time over treating and then wonder why their birds have so many illnesses, chicken feed is really the best way to go.

 

[GardenState38]

Just to add my 2 cents...you're not alone!
It's natural to want to give the little babies some treats...if only to get them to grow accustomed to our faces!
I've found that my chicks, so far, have turned their beaks up at fruit--watermelon, blackberries, tomatoes (I was also trying to unload some extra yield before they spoiled!)
Yogurt was a no-go, but they did seem to like kefir (Although I don't know if they preferred to walk in it or eat it!)

What they REALLY love are dried mealworms! They go bonkers for them, and it has helped me to "tame" at least one of the chicks. Just make sure to have sand and/or chick grit available, and it's fine for them to eat a few, as long as their mainstay is still their crumble.
A few crickets have also found their way into the brooder, and made for an exquisite treat as well, with a lively game of keep-away resulting!
I'm thinking of picking up a few live crickets at the pet store, since they are becoming scarce in the garage! LOL Plus, the two biggest chicks keep "winning" the crickets, and I would like them all to have the opportunity to feast on a cricket of their own!

Chicks who are raised by free-ranging hens have early access to many items besides their crumble, and they tend to be quite healthy...

 

[phasian]

Keep in mind that when hens raise chicks they are exposed to a wide variety of foods (if they are free ranging). A processed diet that remains static is not natural for us or animals.

Even when I brood chicks I try to provide a range of treats. I find if they are the appropriate size and I imitate a mama hen's food calling clucks (yes, I know-cuckoo sounding) they seem pretty interested and enjoy fruits, grains, invertebrates, etc.

 

[ChicksterJo]

Sometimes it works to make the food look as familiar as possible. Imagine my chickens' surprise when I gave them yogurt for the first time, at around 3 weeks old. I gave them a little spoonful and they ran away from it, flew all over the brooder. But I went back 30 mins later and what did I find? They had finished the yogurt and had the stuff all over their beaks and the brooder.

What helped was that I put some of their regular feed on top.
Now they're afraid of corn on the cob. If I take the kernels off the cob they'll eat it though. If they spend enough time with the food they will realize it is not out to hurt them and they can eat it.

 

[TheSpiceGirls]

Quote:
And from this I think we can all see where the phrase, "What, are you Chicken?" came from. My girls are the exact same way.

I will say that they do continue to grow and evolve. Mine too would only eat corn that was cut from the cob. But about two weeks ago I was tight on time that morning and just tossed the whole cob in there. It was picked clean when I got home that night.

They would have nothing to do with snails up until a week ago. One found one and was running around with it squealing with glee. Her sister were right on her tail. And now, most of my hens will eat snails. Which I am very thankful for as I have PLENTY of those to share.

So keep trying things. Don't give up on something just because they won't eat it one time. Their tastes do change and they continue to grow.

 

[luvinmychickens]

Try meal worms or scratch. When my were young, they LOVED them.