The amount of food I should feed my chicks.

[LizzzyJo]

That is actually better for them fresh is always better i would watch how much rice they get though i would add some corn and peas to your mix to mine love fresh peas

Can you post your sources for this information? It is pretty different from what is generally accepted.

 

[Doc7]

Can you post your sources for this information? It is pretty different from what is generally accepted.

Inexperienced chicken keepers think that Instagram worthy cubed fruits and vegetables are better for their chickens than “processed foods” due to human conditioning.

what they do not realize is that commercially available products have been designed to create the healthiest possible bird. It would be like if human “processed food” was a cake consisting of bananas, chicken, pomegranate, spinach, quinoa, and whey protein.

 

[humblehillsfarm]

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!

 

[Tonyroo]

Alright I'll try getting that food as soon as possible, can you please show me how does it look like. Because when my mom got the "bird seeds" they told her that chickens can eat it too

Here's what it looks like:

 

[LizzzyJo]

Inexperienced chicken keepers think that Instagram worthy cubed fruits and vegetables are better for their chickens than “processed foods” due to human conditioning.

what they do not realize is that commercially available products have been designed to create the healthiest possible bird. It would be like if human “processed food” was a cake consisting of bananas, chicken, pomegranate, spinach, quinoa, and whey protein.

yep! In my industry we call it the ‘appeal to nature fallacy’ or ‘naturalistic fallacy’.

https://effectiviology.com/appeal-to-nature-fallacy/

 

[Buckeye Amy]

yep! In my industry we call it the ‘appeal to nature fallacy’ or ‘naturalistic fallacy’.

https://effectiviology.com/appeal-to-nature-fallacy/

Great link! Thanks for the read. My aunt is always pushing herbal this and that to cure everything.

 

[tiffyme]

Vegetables, grains, and rice, all take away form the optimally designed nutrition of commercial available chick starter.

you are feeding them the equivalent of pop tarts.

this type of behavior has no place on a message board as informative as this can you tell me anything I can feed them until I get the right food?

Can you please tell me what foods can I feed them until I get the proper "chick starter food"

 

[tiffyme]

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!

I totally appreciate the information!
Hello, I'm a 15 years old girl from a small country in middle east called Oman. I'm here to learn as much information as possible about how to raise chicks properly.
Thank you for all the information it was super helpful I'll make sure to get the best food for my little chicks.

 

[LizzzyJo]

I totally appreciate the information!
Hello, I'm a 15 years old girl from a small country in middle east called Oman. I'm here to learn as much information as possible about how to raise chicks properly.
Thank you for all the information it was super helpful I'll make sure to get the best food for my little chicks.

Welcome to Backyard Chickens! Sweetie, you’re going to be a wonderful chicken mom! You’re doing your research and asking questions and that’s the most important part of success. Can you get them chicken food today or tomorrow? If it’s longer than that we need to figure out a temporary diet.

 

[Doc7]

Can you please tell me what foods can I feed them until I get the proper "chick starter food"

Hardboiled or scrambled eggs, get chick starter asap

Live crickets from petsmart (reptile food)

these are things my 3 week chicks eat, go ahead for a day or two if needed. You will need a few dozen crickets per chick minimum , put in 2-3 per chick every hour or so.