sunflower sprouts

[bygrace53]

Is it okay to give my young girls (8 and 9 weeks) the sprouts from sunflower seeds, but ALSO the black shells that seem to always still be attached to the ends?

Is it okay to give them large pieces of things (apple skin, celery). Seems like they swallow stuff whole which blows me away. Should I be chopping their snacks up small??

What about ginger root? Is that okay for them?

I have 8... am new at this.... they are 8 and 9 weeks old. THey are outside but have a heated box to retreat to and they sleep under heat lamps up there at night. We are in Arizona. Gets down into the 40s at night so I am still providing heat then. During the day, they aren't interested in the heat.

 

[aggiemae]

yes it's OK. be sure they are getting grit to grind down the seed shells. I chop snacks small because they are "treat": and though it is fun to watch chicks scurry around with chunks of people food it's important that 95% of a chicks diet needs to be a feed containing at least 18% protein. Once a hen is close to laying age you can offer more "snacks". If the hens are confined to a run then no more than 10-15% of their diet should be "treats". If you are free ranging its far more flexible since they are eating plenty of worms, slugs and insects.

As for ginger root,I doubt a small amount in food you are eating and offering to them will matter however I would avoid large amounts with chicks since they tend to mindlessly swallow pretty much anything you offer. We use it so there is ginger in my compost pile and my adult hens probably eat it. The only thing I don't put into the compost is avocado skins and pits as base on experience though they can eat the fruit the shells really do seem to be toxic to chickens, The hens don't eat raw potato skins. They will peck at and then reject tropical fruit other than bananas.