Treats for 2 week olds?

[westtxamber]

I posted at the end of someone's thread but not getting much on replies, I am just wondering what I can offer for treats to 2 week old chicks. Oh and yeah, I know, they need to fill up on chick starter not treats. lol I'm just looking to make friends with them. So, I called vet and all she could say was mashed green beans, and she didn't sound very certain about that. I really want something to get them to be a little more comfy around me, seems like the forums say do it with food. So, are mealworms on the menu yet? Or are they too young for that? Whats ok at 2 weeks? Thank you guys!

 

[SelfSufficient]

I offered mine feed, just in my hand. They were so excited and even started running toward me when I'd go in the garage (they were in the brooder) just expecting the hand with something in it. I also squat down alk to them every time I go out there.

When we took them outside they hopped up on DS without any fear.

Good Luck!!!

 

[dragonmorgan]

I feed mine crickets. I just put a little tupperware lid with some sand in the brooder so they have some grit and then I pinch the crickets and offer them to the chicks. It took them a min to realize that it wasnt a trick and they all started fightin to see who would get to the cricket first. I only do it about once a week so they dont get too full off them but it seems to help them warm up to me for at least a few mins. Until they realize Im out of crickets lol. Ive also given worms and grubs with the heads cut off.

 

[ChickChickChicky]

I have five, 5.5 week olds and one, 3 week old Marans. Do you think that cantaloupe (flesh only, no seeds) would be ok for them? And at what age is it ok to give them greens?

 

[dirtbath]

Mine will be two weeks old tomorrow. I've given them a few sprinkles of Rice Krispies, multi-grain bread crumbs, and Shredded Wheat crumbs. I also sprinkkled just a tad of chick grit on the floor of the brooder too. I only offer them that every few days. They really LOVE the chick start. I tried to give them a bit of yogurt on a piece of bread and they refused it. They acted like I was trying to poison them or something.

 

[onedoodle3]

Question: My chickies will be 2 weeks in a couple days. If you give them anything other than the chick starter, do they need the grit? I have sandbox sand that I plan to use for their dust baths. Will that work as grit? I am new to this and really don't understand the grit issue. Thanks!!!!

 

[SC Yankee]

Chickens don't chew their food in their teeth, and so, nature has given them a sack (crop) in their lower throat(alimentary tract) in which the food passes. The grit being heavy rest in that sack, they move the sack around and the stone grit helps break down the food they eat. I hear they don't need grit until they start eating in the wild. In other words if given soft grains and chick starter, then they don't need grit. Grit from Mannapro is just ground up granite rock.

In humans we chew (masticate) our food, then swallow it, it passes down the esophagus and enters our stomachs. Acids(aprox. up to 25% Hydrochloric acid) are pumped into our stomachs. You mom may have said "chew your food well", and that's because you need to break down the large food into small digestible pieces for your microvilli to absorb it. The acid breaks it down further as your food stays in your stomach from 30 min to two hours before moving on into your small intestine. The small intestine is made up of three pieces which do different jobs. The now acidic food enters the duodenum part of your small intestine, your pancreas and other sacs pump base solutions into the canal to lower the acidity to between 7-9 ph (slightly alkaline). It leaves the duodenum and enter the jujenum. The jujenum is lined with Villi and on the villi are microvilli. The nutrients and minerals are absorbed by the microvilli and passed into your blood stream for use by your body. I'll speed up here, the next part is the Ilium. The food then goes into the cecum (to which your appendix is attached), it's now out of the small intestine and into the large intestine. The food then goes up your ascending colon, the across on the transverse colon, the down the descending colon, then over on the sigmoid colon, then down your rectum and out your anus. Water is absorbed primarily via the large intestine(side note: which is why in an emergency case, a slow administration of water via an enema can rehydrate a human).

so, to come round circle, the chicks need to be able to break down their food (just like we need to) so that our bodies can absorb the nutrients that the food has available. If the molecule are too large, the microvilli or the chickens equivalent) can't absorb and use the nutrients.

 

[aoxa]

I feed mine spinach, but they have chick grit at all times. I also will give them some Millet (very tiny seeds - high in protein) That's about all I've offered.. Oh and scrambled eggs.

 

[mrstillery09]

This is my first time raising chicks, and I was a little impatient on giving treats. I started giving them treats just before they were two weeks old and this coming Wednesday they will be 3 weeks. I've just given them little bits and pieces here and there. If it's too big, I'll cut it into strips which they LOVE running around with. Just yesterday I put a whole tomato in their brooder and they had more fun playing with it than eating it. So far they've had apple (cut into strips), tomato, blueberries, green beans, canned corn, banana, and yogurt. Blueberries were their favorite, until they tried canned corn! They went from TERRIFIED of my hand to overly delighted every time they see it. I have made sure to ALWAYS have grit avaliable for them and I've had absolutely no problems...except for maybe having little piglets intstead of chicks!

 

[tweetysvoice]

To funny!!

My girls are two weeks old today and they've already had kale - I'll put in a whole leaf and they just pick at it - I've given them mealworms and they love chasing each other with them. I've also tried yogurt (they just ignore that), and I grow wheat grass and put in a small cat litter tray of it for them to pick at at their leisure. They have access to grit (I mix it in with peat moss in their dust bath ) and just like MrsTillery09, i've not had any troubles at all. I had one pasty butt the day after they arrived (long before treats) so I think it's good for them. Their mama would have already taken them out to pick at grass and other things on the ground, so I'm just acting like a good mama should (at least that's what I tell myself! LOL)