Treat do's and Dont's with Baby Chicks?

[wvboy]

What can, should, shouldn't, and/or limit giving the little ones as healthy treats?

 

[SoCalChick]

I've always given my little fuzzy butts a little bit of angel food cake - they love it! Or peaches and pears. Anything soft.

 

[chocolate m'scovy]

They love sprouts, and spaghetti. Give them some grass or weeds to peck at.

 

[SoCalChick]

o ya! Spagetti! they run around like CRAZY! its so funny.

 

[Sunny Side Up]

I wish you the greatest of success & enjoyment with your chickens.

It sure is tempting to want to give baby chicks special treats, but make sure they're not spoiling their appetite for their grow food, which is what they need the most. Treats can be given sparingly, to endear yourself to them and to enrich their experiences. Chopped hard-boiled egg is nourishing, especially for young weak chicks. You can pull up a clump of grass & put it in their brooder, roots, dirt & all, they'll have a ball pecking & digging it apart. I love to watch my chicks as they hunt the moths that come into their box, attracted to the light. You can give them a few live crickets & enjoy the show. They'll have fun with a few strands of plain cooked spaghetti.

You don't have to bring your chicks a treat every time you go see them, but if you do it occasionally they'll soon associate you with much of the Good Things in life. When they're bigger you can train them to come to you when they hear the sound of cracked corn being rattled in a can. It's a beneficial thing to have them learn, if ever they get loose & you need to call them back to you.

 

[Happy Chooks]

Mine love carrot tops (greens)

 

[Mahonri]

Today I spoiled mine. They are five weeks old today and shared a banana. Lots of cut grass from the lawn mower and then so they love me and like to be petted they get mammas country fine bread. They go crazy over that.

I've got to start getting rid of some they are getting so big at 5 weeks, I'm about to start shutting off the hea light during the day, they only go in under it from time to time to rest and get warm for a few minutes and then they are back out that at it again, That lawn will never be the same, I may have to buy sod and put it down!

 

[The Sheriff]

I give mine the mini freeze dried mealworms. You can buy them at pet stores. The go insane and it's a hoot to watch!