Ok, so this might sound like a stupid question.....what can I feed chicks? I mean at what age can they eat different things? So far I'm giving them the start and grow chick feed, some store bought grit is mixed in with their feed at the proper ratio from what the bag said, some dried meal worms (they fight over these). I tried to give them some mashed up strawberries, but they weren't touching it.....it just sat there for an hour or so. Not sure if it's because I mashed them up and they think I'm crazy since they've already eaten the "good stuff" or what. The temps here in DFW dropped drastically yesterday so I'm not letting them forage yet until the temps come back up. Any ideas on what baby chicks like and what's "appropriate" to feed them at less than a week old?
You can feed them just about anything from the time they are born. They are omnivores, not vegetarians. If you feed them ONLY chick feed, then you don't need to supplement with any grit. You only need grit if they are going to eat other things.
Remember, prior to the 20th century, there was no such thing as manufactured chick feed. Only wealthier people who were poultry fanciers did things like special feeding (of grains/fruits/etc) or incubated eggs and raised chicks without a hen's help. Momma hens have their chicks eating all kinds of bugs, plants, etc. from day one.
Prior to manufactured feed, people did feed whole grains obtained from the feed store to chickens. If they could afford it. More often, homestead chickens had to scrounge their food - bugs, mice, snakes, spiders, ant, grasses, seeds, etc. The lady of the house, or the children, would feed chickens food scraps from the house that were too small to save, couldn't be saved due to no electricity, were too mushy or damaged for people to want to eat, etc. They gave their chickens everything they weren't going to use themselves, including meat and even dairy scraps such as soured milk, sweet milk, butter milk from churning butter, whey, as well as the routine fruits/veggies.
Don't be afraid to throw things to the chickens. Usually when they won't eat it, it's because they just haven't figured out that it is edible and you have to keep re-introducing things to them - like when teaching a baby to eat new foods. Once they get outside and have opportunity to start foraging, it usually takes them less time to decide to try something new. You can clean out the refrigerator and feed them things you might throw away as long as stuff isn't moldy. Ours will eat bruised fruit/veggies but they also eat things like leftover soups, casseroles, etc. They love leftover navy bean & turkey ham soup! I know people that say their chickens love to eat old hot peppers that they were going to trash. Be creative. You can treat your chickens, clean out your fridge, and carry on an old homestead tradition all at the same time.
