Please Help Me!

[twindarkness]

hey guys, i am going to buy some baby chicks this week. they are already hatched and i only needto put them in a BROODER for a week or two. i already know how to set up the BROODER but i dont know what to feed them. I know that i can feed them chicken crumble feed, but i am afraid it might not be organic. i want to give them organic food. will it be okay if i just give them worms, crickets, fruits, vegetables, yogart, instead?


Do i also have to add GRIT in a separate dish?



many many thanks

 

[sourland]

All the "treats" that you mention are fine, but they are just that "treats." It would be like feeding kids just candy. Your chicks need a balanced diet. If organic is the way you want to go, there are organic feeds available. Do a google search and locate a source in your home area.

 

[CapricornFarm]

You probably could feed them all that stuff you mentioned, but it would probably be hard to get a balanced diet. I am sure they sell an organic chicken starter , ask at your feed store;-)

 

[twindarkness]

ok cool. thanks guys.


but do i also have to put GRIT in a separate dish?


and during night time, do i have to turn off the heat lamp?

 

[chickcorner]

I am feeding mine Organic Life by blue seal, non med

 

[chickengrl]

If you are only feeding chick crumbles, you don't need grit. If you feed treats, you will need a separate container for grit. They make chick grit that is smaller sized. It should say insoluble granite on it. WHen they are laying age you will need to offer oyster shell for added calcium too. That prevents soft shell eggs. Hope this helps.

 

[bburn]

Now, go read everything on here that you can find to read about raising chicks. All the answers are there and you will learn so much!

enjoy

 

[Celtic Chick]

I'm afraid you'll have to keep them in a brooder for longer than one or two weeks. They have specific temperature requirements for at least 4 weeks, or until they feather out. You might want to do a little more research on what you're getting into before you go pick them up so you're prepared.

The only way to assure strong, healthy chicks is to feed them only a quality chick starter formula. It has everything a growing chick needs except water. When they get a little older, you can start giving them "treats", along with some grit, but only in moderation.
You must keep the heat lamp running 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Chicks need constant warmth. The first week of their life, the temperature inside the brooder, directly under the bulb, should be 95 degrees. The following week, it can be reduced to 90, and so on. Try to keep the bulb offset to one side so they have a little more of a "cool" area off to one side in case they get too hot. If they hang around in this cooler area alot, you can pull the heat bulb away a little. You should also keep the water in this cool area. If they stay huddled directly under the light, they're too cold.
Informative links for beginners:
http://www.mypetchicken.com/backyard-chickens/chicken-care/chapter-4-caring-for-baby-chicks.aspx
http://www.tractorsupply.com/content/knowhow/chicks/livestock_care_caring_for_new_chicks
http://www.tractorsupply.com/conten.../livestock_care_raising_poultry_expert_advice
Common Foods and Plants Toxic to Chickens
raw potatoes and peels
any & all raw beans
avocado
asparagus
citrus fruits
rhubarb leaves
chocolate/caffeine
apple seeds
onions
garlic
mushrooms
alcohol
potato, eggplant, and tomato plants/leaves
salt
mistletoe or holly berries
nutmeg
sweet pea plant
tobacco
stone fruit pits
Hope this helps you

 

[chickcorner]

Cetic do they know to stay away from plants naturally on there own. because i have rhubarb plants growing in my yard and don,t want to poison them.

 

[Judy]

Organic or not, be sure you get starter or starter/grower feed. Mash, crumbles and pellets only tell the size of the pieces, not the content of the feed.

My chickens eat certain plants in their yard and leave others. I can't recall reading about a chicken eating a poisonous plant on here -- though I would think it has happened. If I were you, I'd watch to see whether they try to eat the rhubarb tops or leave them alone. Or you could fence the plants off.