Treats for baby chicks

[Steve P]

My wife wants to know at what age can you start giving chicks treats to eat?

 

[klohman]

This is only personal experience speaking...I personally don't like to give treats while they are still in the "baby" phase. We start giving a few easy kitchen scraps when I notice they are starting to scratch. I feel like it gives them something to do. Once we integrate into the big coop (via dog crate) I make sure to give them small amounts of whatever we give the older girls. Then by the time they are fully in the coop, they get what they can grab!

That being said, they do make specific chicken treats, and I'm sure they have some geared towards younger birds. If she wants to give some, I would check your local farm/garden store. I just don't like to spend money on those when I feel like they get just as many nutrients from our garden/scraps.

 

[newmarch2014]

I wait till 2 weeks to give chicks treats once I have made sure they are eating and drinking well, then I introduce grit before the treats. I hang a chick stick for entertainment, I grow "fodder" and give them a little ration of that each day, I boil an egg every few days and give them that (that is a favorite of all) but sprinkle all with grit and have grit available as free choice all the time.

 

[Steve P]

Thanks for the info

 

[PapaChaz]

I've always started giving treats immediately. Never seen any bad effects. Just make sure you have chick grit available for them.

My last ones got corn on the cob off the supper table when they were 3 days old. It was down right funny to see them pulling the cob around trying to get the corn off, thing was as big as they were

 

[PapaChaz]

I will add though, the treats I give them are usually something cooked or soft. Green beans, corn, banana (mine have a FIT over a banana!) yogurt, plain oatmeal, well done scrambled egg .....also I hung a cabbage head and though it took them about a week to figure it out, once they did, it didn't last a day