Too much of a good thing?

[artsvarc]

Starting to let my 5 week olds out in the run for a few hours... they go crazy.. eating worms, grass, everything? I do provide chick grit. Can they eat too much? Choke on a big worm?

 

[TSP]

I’m no expert having only been at this a few years, so take this for what it’s worth. I’ve let my ”littles” out in the fenced in yard as soon as they were feathered out, and sooner in the middle of summer. They eat whatever they can catch and I’ve seen them grubbing up worms by the handful when they can find them. I’ve never had a problem. YRMV

 

[plaidpantsuit]

Making sure grit is available is wise, and also probiotics to keep all the new eats in balance!

 

[Mrs. K]

No need for probiotics, just grit, and let them decide. They know quite a bit about being a chicken.

 

[plaidpantsuit]

Babies raised by a mama hen will naturally ingest some of her fecal material while foraging, this is beneficial because the pre- and pro- biotics it contains can prepare their immune systems for the variety of food they will encounter. Chicks raised in a brooder do not have this little advantage, so offering the choice of a good probiotic can make up the lack when they are young. Have fun with your babies!

 

[Mrs. K]

Ridgerunner (I think) posted that she would take a scoop of soil from the hen yard, which is probably rich in all that and put that in with her chicks. So I do that.