So do I have the only chicks that don't like mealworms?!

[Guernica]

Anyone else's chicks kinda "meh" on the mealworms?

Don't get me wrong, they don't HATE them, but given the choice of mealworms or their chick kibble as a treat from their usual chick starter, they go for about 1/10 mealworms to 9/10 chick kibble. I end up throwing most of the mealworms out w/ the bedding. THAT may have been a big fat waste of 10 bucks! Or does it take a while for them to develop a taste for mealworms?

(Yes, they get chick grits.)

 

[LLCoyote]

Mine are the exact same way. My ducks were WILD about them. I guess everything likes what it likes. Mine like the chick stick thing I got from the co-op more than anything else. They wouldn't eat yogurt either. I'm trying an egg later on tonight. Different strokes for different folks.

 

[GreenLove]

How old are your chicks? I gave my chicks (4 Weeks old) their first meal worms a few days ago and it was like a stampede! Never saw anything like it! At first, they just stared at them as they wiggled in my hand but then the first brave chick (barred rock) took one and she must have said something to the others because it was a blur of feathers and high pitched peeping, they went absolutely nuts.

On a side note, (if your birds ever decide to like them), try raising your own. After the initial cost of set up, they are practically free. Just some carrots for water once a week and some wheat bran.

 

[Guernica]

How old are your chicks? I gave my chicks (4 Weeks old) their first meal worms a few days ago and it was like a stampede! Never saw anything like it! At first, they just stared at them as they wiggled in my hand but then the first brave chick (barred rock) took one and she must have said something to the others because it was a blur of feathers and high pitched peeping, they went absolutely nuts.

On a side note, (if your birds ever decide to like them), try raising your own. After the initial cost of set up, they are practically free. Just some carrots for water once a week and some wheat bran.

This may be the issue. Mine are a week and 2 days old. Perhaps just plain too young?

 

[GreenLove]

In my humble opinion, yes, too young. When I was looking up information on what and when to feed chicks, it seemed the consensus was not before 3 or 4 weeks. Definately try again later, because I've never met a chicken that didn't like something wiggling lol.

 

[Guernica]

Update: you were right, GreenLove, they were just a bit too young. They come a'runnin' for the worms now!! Thanks!

 

[GreenLove]

YaY!!!!

So glad to hear it! Now you just have to start raising your own or you'll go bankrupt buying them lol!

 

[azygous]

It's a normal reaction for very young chicks to be suspicious of anything new, and they usually need to slowly warm up to it. It also depends on whether there's one very adventurous chick in the bunch. The bold chick will throw caution to the wind and grab anything new and run with it. The others will follow its lead.

If the group lacks a "bold leader", they will take awhile to become less suspicious and decide to try new stuff when you introduce it to them. This is an instinctual reservation designed by nature to protect baby chicks from trying and eating things that may be dangerous. They normally look to the broody mama hen to point out to them what's safe and good to eat. Without a mama hen, they are on their own to figure out what's safe, so they naturally go slow when they see something new and different.

Something you might try when offering a new treat is to put in on the floor of the brooder and "peck" at it with your finger, simulating a mama hen pecking the food with her beak. It's a language chicks are quick to pick up on.

 

[Guernica]

Excellent idea, Azygous, thanks for the tip! Luckily, I do have one "herd leader" (I'm a horse trainer, MUST STAHP thinking in horse terms, LOL!) who is very brave & the "try anything once" kinda guy. He's always the one who will try the new stuff.