Raising Chicks

[dr1939]

Hello, I am completely new at raising chicks. I had a broody chicken and got three eggs from a friend and she hatched them out. My friend gave me some starter food for them.
My question is how long should I continue to feed them the starter food and when should I give them something else and what should I give them. Can they have something like mealyworms or oatmeal or ??????. Thanks in advance for your help.

 

[Judy]

Starter is fine. It is also fine for the mama, or for the whole flock if you are raising them in with the flock. In that case, just put out a little oyster shell for the laying hens in a separate container.

Treats are OK, too, if you don't give them pieces too big for them to handle; remember, they swallow things whole. Try not to upset the nutritional balance of their feed too much; maybe hold treats down to 10% of their daily diet. You can also feed them grower when a few weeks old, or you can feed the whole flock a flock raiser feed in a few weeks. As long as chicks under 18 weeks don't gt any layer feed it's all good.

https://www.backyardchickens.com/a/guide-to-letting-broody-hens-hatch-and-raise-chicks