Hello, I have 3 healthy chicks ( about 3 weeks old) they dont like the "bird food" I give them
So i usually feed them vegetables, grains, rice and other seeds I like to mix these together so they'll get all the minerals they need in a day, however I'm not sure how much I should feed them. I usually fill a medium sized container twice a day.
Note: the chicks live in my front yard they usually get their first meal at 10am
And the last one which I make sure to fill before the sunset so they wouldn't be hungry in the morning.
Do you have any tips for me? Is there like an amount? Is what I feed them enough? Is it right to replace the "bird food"?
Note: The "bird food" is always there incase they get hungry and decide to eat it.
Hey there, so I have to ask, where are you from? I have noticed our community is growing and we have a LOT of people from other nations. It has become apparent to me that not all nations have access to high quality chicken feed, which is why I want to make sure!
I cannot stress enough how important it is that chickens eat feed meant for chickens or poultry. Chicks 1-8 weeks of age especially need high amounts of protein, 18-22%for chickens intended for egg laying, and 22-24% for chickens intended for meat. Their target fat needs are 4% for all egg layers and slightly higher for meat birds. They also need very specific nutrients design for growing healthy chickens! They should have unlimited access to their feed during the day, and it is optional to remove the feed at night, but chickens don't eat at night.
If you can go to a feed store, or even
Walmart, you should ideally buy chick starter. If you cannot find chick starter (there has been a shortage), buy grower/finisher. If you cannot find either of those, buy an all flock feed.
By 9 weeks of age, buy a grower/finisher feed that has 16-18% protein, or an all-flock feed. By the time they are 18-20 weeks old or they lay their first egg, switch to a layer feed which contains extra calcium for strong eggs, or buy an all-flock feed and provide free-choice oyster shells (which will be sold next to the bags of feed). All-flock does not contain extra calcium so they need to have a source of it or the hens well lay thin shell eggs and their bodies will take calcium from the hen's bones resulting in a weak hen.
Bird seed is
very high in fat and not very high in protein. It has a limited amount of seeds as well, meaning there isn't much nutritional diversity. It is not targeted for growing chicks.
At the age of your chicks, they should not ever have treats. Treats can be used after 8 weeks, but should be highly nutritious foods like lettuce, fruits, dark leafy greens, or scratch feed. If you give them any treats, they need to have chick grit, as chickens don't have teeth, they rely on grit, sand, and small stones in their crop to grind the food for them. Any scratch grains (sort of like your bird seed), beans, lentils, brown rice, millet, or other grains, should be used as a way to interact with, or train your flock and given maybe 1 tablespoons a day for chicks older than 8 weeks, and up 2-3 tablespoons a day for hens. Dark leafy greens, iceberg lettuce, and juicy fruits like watermelon can be given unlimited amounts for chickens.
If you have any extra questions, please feel free to ask. Of all areas of poultry, feed is what I have spent a lot of time researching as I try to raise some of my own feed and it is critical they receive the appropriate nutrition. Chickens even 30-40 years ago live very short lives. Today, chickens live very long lives and can lay eggs for quite a few years because we now have the research needed to give them the best quality of feed!