New things to try?

[rpchris]

The chicks are 3+ weeks old now. I'm trying to slowly introduce them to a variety of different things to eat but having little luck so far. Here's what I've tried:

1. Watermelon - Turned their noses up at it.
2. Flax seeds - Like it. Will eat a seed or two.
3. Wheat germ - Like it.
4. Crumbed wheat bread - Pecked at it but that was about it.
5. Corn meal - Turned their noses up at it.
6. Yogurt - Turned their noses up at it.
7. Cooked white rice from the Chinese restaurant - LOVE IT. FIGHT OVER IT. COME FLYING AT ME WHEN THEY SEE IT.
8. Carrot shavings - Turned their noses up at it.
9. Broccoli - Turned their noses up at it.
10. Grass (lawn, not the other kind) - Turned their noses up at it.
11. Cheerios and corn flakes - Tried it but then turned their noses up at it.
12. Raisins - Turned their noses up at it.
13. Boiled egg yolk - Turned their noses up at it.

Anything else I might try on young chicks? Rice is the only thing they love besides their feed and I don't like to give them too much rice. I don't think it has much if any nutritional value.

 

[Bantam Username]

Have you tried dried meal worms? My chickens that I used to have would go mental for those. You can get them in pet shops.

 

[heatherkh]

Mine love picking clean "used" corn cobs.

 

[mkcolls]

Meal worms for sure. Get a chair, enjoy the show.

Reintroduce foods that they aren't interested in now. Every week they seem to develop new tastes and will jump over each other to get to food they refused the week before.

 

[jodiea60]

My were fussy about somethings...reintroduce stuff.....Mine love most anything....and it is like a shark feeding frenzy....When I pick up the mealy worm container they go crazy!!!! My chicks are 3 weeks today and have had treats since about 4-5 days old...

 

[JodyJo]

https://www.backyardchickens.com/web/viewblog.php?id=2593-Treats_Chart

here is the BYC treat chart....mine love watermelon, cantaloupe, rice, cooked oatmeal (great on very cold mornings), apple, GRAPES, bread (but not too much), corn on the cob, squash...etc...they will get the hang of it, they are still young, one day they will go crazy....oh yeah, and my petunias...which are now all gone, along with my Gerber daisies!

 

[FireTigeris]

gotta expose them more then once, as everything eats chicken- they might be worried about new things.

 

[chickchicks]

mine are about 5/6 weeks now they love:

dreid mealworm - fight overit before its out the bag!
rice - fight to the end !
mash potatoe - love it
yoghut - they role in it

salad - nibbleat this

 

[rpchris]

I am trying to avoid the mealworms because they aren't something I would normally have around the house and I certainly don't want to be driving out to the pet store just to feed their addictions.

. I did get them to eat a hard boiled egg yesterday. 4 of the 5 wanted nothing to do with it but the 5th chick started munching down and happily peeping and then all the others had to have some too. I guess chickens have food critics as well.

Thanks for the suggestions. I'll keep trying and retrying different things. I am happy that they got a little extra protein yesterday. They all seem an inch taller this morning.

 

[rgraf]

How do you feed grapes? Do you cut them in half? Thanks