My Chicks Don't Seem to Know how to Peck at Food

[Stella1964]

I have 4 chicks (females) that are now 4 weeks old. They have been raised so far on chick starter crumbles and water. Each is doing great and growing rapidly. I recently started giving them some grit and some treats, such as watermelon, cooked potato skins, tomatoes and cucumber peels, but they won't do anything with it, not even peck at it. Is this normal behaviour?

 

[mandomama]

try brocolli, cooked spegetti, and raw oatmeal! Mine love those as treats. I only give it enough to get them used to eating out of my hands though. They have chick starter and water for real food.

They have no need for bread or lettuce. I havent tried a 1/2 a grape yet.

 

[silkiechicken]

It takes time for them to learn what is good to eat. If you tap on their treats, you will encourage them to eat if they associate your fingers with something like a momma hen's beak.

 

[tvtaber]

Some chicks like some stuff and some like others stuff; like people! Mine won't cucumber skin, carrots, celery, or anything hard. They love lettuce, tomatoes, and cooked potato skins (YOU should eat those!). The first food my chicks ate (vice just looking at it like it as poison) was cooked broccoli. They love the little flower buds on the top of the stalk but still won't eat the stalks. Just keep offering stuff until they catch on.

Come to think of it, my chickens will not eat any kitchen scraps except lettuce and apple cores (and strawberry tops). They will eat good stuff from the table and left over salad, etc, but peelings just sit there and have to be raked out eventually.

 

[chcknrs]

Mine love pear cores, plain yogurt and mealworms. They'll also munch on raw spinach. They like scrambled eggs. The favorite is the mealworms! They only get them once or twice a month and go crazy over them. Oh, they love tomato too!

 

[Stella1964]

Thanks for all of the responses! I've tried tomatoes, cucumbers, cooked potato skins, lettuce, hard boiled eggs. broccoli, bread and celery leaves...but no dice. They charge for it like they haven't eaten in days, they poke once at it then look up at me like I'm supposed to add chocolate syrup and whipped cream to it. Then they walk away, with confused peeps. If they could scratch their heads, they would!

I don't know what else to do to get them to eat something other than starter crumbles and grit.

Can chicks eat too much grit?

 

[Bawkadoodledoo]

you really should stick to crumbles for the first six weeks.

 

[Stella1964]

Quote:
The books all say so many different things about when to feed and what to feed. It appears in my case my chicks have decided for me!

 

[normajean]

How about a compromise: chick starter mash (with water or milk)....with maybe a touch of brown sugar or honey......
just a thought

 

[OzarkCountryGirl]

I have six two-week old chicks that are eating worms. I had a couple that didn't seem to know what to do at first, so I took my fingernail and tap-tap-tapped on the floor right beside the worm (as close as I could get to it without tapping the worm itself) and the chicks ran to the worm and started pecking right away. And that's all it took.

You should see how the little fluff balls play tug-o-war with the worms!

Although I have to admit, it makes me feel kind of sorry for the worm...