Skinny Chicks?? how to "fatten" them up?

[Bleenie]

I am looking for ways to help my chicks to fatten up some. They had some kind of illness going on & they just finished a week of Sulmet medication because I thought it might have been Coccidiosis. I lost only one chick & had one other that was acting funny but after the second day of meds there was no more signs of sickness and they're ALL acting normal now.

They are on 20% protien starter
Have Avia-Charge2000 in their water

I am getting a few eggs from the hens & ducks so i can boil & feed those to them, but I was just hoping to find some other ways to help get them back to a more normal weight. They're kind of in that "ugly chick" stage right now too but i want them to be as healthy as possible.

 

[chickenlady08]

With that many chicks in that brooder you need to give them more food. I put several trays of food in various places that way they can get to one or the others. I just started to give more than one container of food. I also give them kale each day along with some grit and any other treat I give my big girls.

 

[Bleenie]

They actually have 3 feeders in there, i just didnt get them all in that picture. The long, metal feeder was switched to one of those LONG, plastic, red feeders too so there's been plenty of food in there for them. I just put the flat dish in there because they like to kick the food out and scratch around in the hay to find it, and being in the brooder i figured the exercise is good for them. The brooder is pretty big but it's cold today and half of the top has netting on it for ventelation so they've been hanging out back closer to the lgiht so they look crowded, lol.

does kale have much protein in it?

 

[Break an Egg]

Treats with high protien would be good, boiled egg, yogurt, cottage cheese. They look good to me.

 

[PunkinPeep]

It sounds to me like you're doing everything right. Those babies beautiful.

 

[Bleenie]

The black cockeral in the front is at a good weight for being in the "ugly stage" but there's 1 in particular that was pretty sick before so she's pretty lgihtweight still and of course extra treats can only help the little ones too.

I boiled some eggs and have some cottage cheese & yogurt in the fridge. thank you for those suggestions!

they're all bantam cochins, sizzles, frizzles & silkies so they all have the puffy look

 

[Bleenie]

I just put the boiled, chopped eggs in the brooder and they went NUTS!!! someone grabbed a piece and the chase was on!

Hopefully they will take to the other treats as well as they did these ones.

 

[Nekhebet]

Crickets, mealworms and waxworms

 

[chickenlady08]

Quote:
Oops sorry about the food! I just think that the chick food has alot of protein in there. I did buy some crickets for my Jack and gave them to some of the babies that were in my garage. Lots of protein there. The kale has 4g of protein per 2 1/2 cup serving so prob not alot of protein because they would have to each eat that much and mine don't sit there and just gobble it down, they eat it and walk away and come back. I know it has calcium and other vitamins that are good for them. I mainly get it for my geese just to give them a jump start each day. Prob don't need it but I do it anyway.

Mealworms are a good protein source if you know what they have been eating, some may not give them a good diet and they kinda eat what is there so I guess if you had your own to raise then you would know what they are eating. I raise mine on the chicken food, old fashioned oatmeal, grits, shredded wheat, and what ever else I find that is good and fully of vitamins and good stuff for them.