New chicks..am I doing it right?!

[RedKell]

I picked up a pair of 4 week old chicks today. I have bought them starter crumbles, but would like to know when I can start introducing kitchen scraps into their diet. Also I have heard about putting apple cider vinegar in their water. Is this a good thing to do, and how much do I put in?
Any help would be greatly appreciated

 

[ChickenCanoe]

When you use ACV, make sure it is raw or won't have any benefits. When I use it, 1 Tbsp. per gallon.

I don't feed anything but starter feed until the chicks are old enough to forage. Their tiny bodies benefit from a well balanced ration. My thinking is that if I supplement other things, I can upset the balance of nutrients.

ETA

I would start with more than 2.
Chickens are flock animals and need friends.
Chickens die and a lone flock animal won't fare well.
When you have delicious fresh eggs in your backyard you will use more eggs than you ever thought possible. 2 hens per family member should be a minimum.
They don't lay every day and from the second autumn's molt onward they will take a longer and longer winter laying break. It's discouraging to go through the effort of having chickens and have to constantly buy store eggs.
Introducing new birds to an existing mature flock is very difficult. Best to do it when they're young so they can grow up together.

 

[HEChicken]

Agree with ChickenCanoe regarding starting with several rather than two.

As for kitchen scraps…..I don't have a minimum age, however I've found that chicks raised in a brooder are reluctant to try anything new without a mother hen telling them what is safe to eat and what isn't. So when I raise them they start on chick crumbles and the occasional cooked egg and that's about it until they are 3-4 weeks old and go outside to join the flock. However chicks raised under a broody hen eat whatever she suggests they eat, from day one. So if I throw out kitchen scraps, she is likely to snag a tasty morsel and encourage the chicks to eat it. All in all, broody raised chicks seem to grow up hardier and be better foragers than brooder raised chicks so I can't think it hurts them to eat kitchen scraps from the beginning.

 

[RedKell]

Thanks for the advice, this is all a little overwhelming. I just want to make sure I do the right thing by them.
How do I tell if the ACV is raw? It says no artificial preservatives etc, and only lists ACV in the ingredients list. Is this OK to use?
I want to get a few more chicks, but they are very hard to find in this town. (They are rarer than Hen's teeth!!!!!) I could only get hold of the 2. However the local nursery is currently raising more, so I will get another 2 on the 30th of July. They will be 10 days old. I'm hoping that since both lots are young they will mix fairly well??

 

[ChickenCanoe]

Young birds of various ages usually mix pretty well.

The ACV doesn't have to be organic but must be raw. It's usually easiest to find Bragg's organic. If it is pasteurized, it isn't raw and has had all the healthful enzymes destroyed. Pasteurized makes a good cleaner or acidifier but isn't healthful. Raw also usually has the 'mother' in it. 'Mother' is the cloudy sediment in the bottom.

ETA

Don't be overwhelmed. Caring for a handful of chicks is a piece of cake. Fresh air, food and water, a cool and warm spot, space and predator protection and they'll take care of themselves.