specific brand of yogurt to feed to chicks?

[frizzleman74]

Is there a specific brand that you should feed to your chicks? Are there any brands/flavors to stay away from? Thanks!

 

[greenfamilyfarms]

We don't give yogurt because of the extra sugars. They don't really need yogurt... chickens were not "made" to digest it.

However, I have seen that most folks give the plain type of no certain brand.

 

[clairabean]

I work in an organic food market, so I bring home the outdated yogurts- all organic brands. I pop the whole container in my freezer and slide out the whole frozen chunk to my adult chickens. They go crazy pecking at the frozen yogurt. Yummy, cool and so healthy!

The chicks get a small amount in a bowl, unfrozen for them.

I think as long as the yogurt is full of probiotics and low in sugar/aspartame/sucralose/whatever garbage, then it is great for chickens! I am just blessed to get organic for free.

And they love, love the yogurt with fruit chunks.

 

[JustaJemIam]

None of mine show any interest in yogurt and from what I hear it is really messy. I stick to grapes and meal worms for "treats" I agree they don't really need something that sugary.

 

[Hummingbird Hollow]

I've been giving my flock plain yogurt with pro-biotics since I had to put one of my pullets on antibiotics for an intestinal bacterial infection. What seems to work really nicely is to take about 1/2 cup of Quaker oats and mix it with about 1/2 cup of water and pop it in the microwave for 1 minute. I take half of the hot oatmeal and mix in 1/2 serving of yogurt and bring it out to my 8 chickens first thing in the morning. I figure as the nights are getting colder they might appreciate a warm breakfast. They absolutely gobble up the hot mash. The other half serving of oatmeal with the half serving of yogurt just needs a quick mix and 20 seconds in the microwave for the following day. Oh, I don't add the yogurt until AFTER I've warmed the oatmeal in the microwave because I figure the microwave might kill the active cultures in the yogurt that are the whole point of feeding the yogurt.

 

[fiddlebanshee]

I stick to grapes and meal worms for "treats" I agree they don't really need something that sugary.

Well... grapes are about 15% sugar. Plain yogurt has no added sugar of any kind and has about 8% of natural sugar as lactose. If the chickens would like the plain yogurt it would seem healthier to me to feed them yogurt rather than grapes.​

 

[PetRock]

I give mine plain yogurt with active cultures every morning. When they were chicks, we started with some mixed with their chick starter. Now they get it mixed with leftover brown rice, or cooked steel cut oats, or fruit pulp left over from our juicer along with chopped up tomatoes from our garden and whatever other extra fruit we have like grapes, cantalop, watermellon, etc. They love it! They run full speed down the ramp to get to the treat bowls! And it is not that messy if it is mixed with something else.

 

[fireguy56]

Hi, Well, i don't really know about the yogurt thing but alot of folks on BYC seem to use it. I do know.....My Girls Love Grapes!...Sugar , so what....sweet eggs in my book and they simply go wild for them as a treat....plus they are cool and easy to eat. Sorry, can't see a thing wrong with something so natural. Hey, just my opinion.
Erik

 

[frizzleman74]

thanks so much for your replies, just one more question. How early can you start feeding them yogert? I have 5 day old chicks right now

 

[PetRock]

I started all of mine at about that age. I just gave them a little mixed with their chick starter food.