Protein Questions for Chicks

[BarrettG]

I have 5 White leghorns 4-5 weeks old. I feed them start and grow medicated, strawberrys,and meal worms.They don't like yogurt. 2 days ago I noticed one bird is being pecked. I was told it could be because of a lack of protein. I have work out protein powder. How much a day do I mix in with the food? Is that protein exceptable for chicks? I was also told to give them scrambled eggs but how much and how often. I'm afraid that would get them to want to eat their own eggs one day. I need everyone's suggestions please!

 

[cavemanrich]

I can answer the scrambled eggs Question. Let them have one meal per day of the eggs. They will not know to eat their own eggs by you doing so. I have given my girls eggs in the past. I have also given them raw eggs that were cracked. Understand that I did give it to them in a food container away from their nest where they lay. They did not associate their eggs to what they were eating. I cracked up the shell to have no resemblance to a round egg. I feed all my eggshells back to the girls. . The starter feed should be enough protein for them without you needing to supplement it. My opinion only.
WISHING YOU BEST AND ALSO

 

[donrae]

At this young age pecking is more likely overcrowding or boredom than lack of protein. If they're on a chick starter they should be getting all the protein they need.

 

[Mrs. K]

I would be wary of adding any non chicken food to chicks. When mine are chicks, they get chick starter, as they get a little older, then a few treats.

I too, bet what was enough room when they were day old chicks is now running out of space. Lack of space causes most of the problems.

Mrs K

 

[BarrettG]

@Mrs.Kay I don't think space is an issue. Maybe boredom? There is not much for them to do in this cage. I got them a toy but they don't use it much. The coop is below

 

[Mrs. K]

If it is not a space issue now, it soon will be. Personally, I think it is a space issue and that none of your birds can really get away from each other. There is no space to fly in that set up, no place to jump up or to roost in that area. There is no where for the birds to scratch and dig. Are they on a wire floor? In my own set up, my 4-5 week old chicks are roosting several feet off the ground by that age.

5 birds will shortly need a coup that equals at least 20 square feet, so think 4 feet by 5 feet, which I think is about the size of what you have now. The attached run should be about 50 square feet or about 5 feet x 10 feet. So all together you need a minimum of 14 x 5 feet.

Personally in the run, I have a pallet up on blocks that birds can get under, or on top. I have a pallet leaned up against the wall, where a bird can get into the shade, or just out of sight of it's tormentors.

Birds establish pecking orders by pecking another bird, until the lower bird flees. Your lowest bird has no where to go to indicate that it is accepting the lowest position, so they keep pecking. Boredom may be part of it, but the biggest part is lack of space and lack of hideouts.

Coups and runs, (my opinion) should be tall enough to stand up in, it makes them easier to clean, and it gives considerable more space to your birds, as space is truly a 3 dimensional space.

That set up, might work for a brooder, but your birds are outgrowing it. If that is your long term coop, you are going to need to severely cull your flock, or the problems are going to get much worse.

Hope you have another coop.

Mrs K

 

[bobbi-j]

If it is not a space issue now, it soon will be. Personally, I think it is a space issue and that none of your birds can really get away from each other. There is no space to fly in that set up, no place to jump up or to roost in that area. There is no where for the birds to scratch and dig. Are they on a wire floor? In my own set up, my 4-5 week old chicks are roosting several feet off the ground by that age.

5 birds will shortly need a coup that equals at least 20 square feet, so think 4 feet by 5 feet, which I think is about the size of what you have now. The attached run should be about 50 square feet or about 5 feet x 10 feet. So all together you need a minimum of 14 x 5 feet.

Personally in the run, I have a pallet up on blocks that birds can get under, or on top. I have a pallet leaned up against the wall, where a bird can get into the shade, or just out of sight of it's tormentors.

Birds establish pecking orders by pecking another bird, until the lower bird flees. Your lowest bird has no where to go to indicate that it is accepting the lowest position, so they keep pecking. Boredom may be part of it, but the biggest part is lack of space and lack of hideouts.

Coups and runs, (my opinion) should be tall enough to stand up in, it makes them easier to clean, and it gives considerable more space to your birds, as space is truly a 3 dimensional space.

That set up, might work for a brooder, but your birds are outgrowing it. If that is your long term coop, you are going to need to severely cull your flock, or the problems are going to get much worse.

Hope you have another coop.

Mrs K

x2!

 

[Folly's place]

x3!

 

[AmericanMom]

If it is not a space issue now, it soon will be. Personally, I think it is a space issue and that none of your birds can really get away from each other. There is no space to fly in that set up, no place to jump up or to roost in that area. There is no where for the birds to scratch and dig. Are they on a wire floor? In my own set up, my 4-5 week old chicks are roosting several feet off the ground by that age.

5 birds will shortly need a coup that equals at least 20 square feet, so think 4 feet by 5 feet, which I think is about the size of what you have now. The attached run should be about 50 square feet or about 5 feet x 10 feet. So all together you need a minimum of 14 x 5 feet.

Personally in the run, I have a pallet up on blocks that birds can get under, or on top. I have a pallet leaned up against the wall, where a bird can get into the shade, or just out of sight of it's tormentors.

Birds establish pecking orders by pecking another bird, until the lower bird flees. Your lowest bird has no where to go to indicate that it is accepting the lowest position, so they keep pecking. Boredom may be part of it, but the biggest part is lack of space and lack of hideouts.

Coups and runs, (my opinion) should be tall enough to stand up in, it makes them easier to clean, and it gives considerable more space to your birds, as space is truly a 3 dimensional space.

That set up, might work for a brooder, but your birds are outgrowing it. If that is your long term coop, you are going to need to severely cull your flock, or the problems are going to get much worse.

Hope you have another coop.

Mrs K

Completely agree..

At that age my chicks have access to an outside run, covered of course but not only is the grow out pen large they also have a large completely enclosed run. I have chicks (and Turkey poults) ranging from 2 weeks to 5 weeks in the area and they thrive, there are areas they can just relax and warm up, there are area's they can practice their roosting skills and there are area's they can fly/jump from one place to another. The run has grass and bare dirt, they love it.. I have watched the bitties stalk bugs which is always entertaining. I have discovered in my own trial and error that the less space they have the more issues I have with failure to thrive, pecking and sudden deaths. I love to sit outside their run and just watch them explore

 

[BarrettG]

I appreciate everyone's feed back big time. I called a carpenter to build a run for me that the chicks will have access to all the time. This coop now is 4x8' but I think it makes them board. I let them out when I get home but that's for only 3 hours. I think once the run is complete they should be good. I will set up a roosting place in there but keep the nests in the coop