treats? when?

[delfargo]

my 25 chicks are almost 2 weeks old and i'm trying to find out at what age can i start giving them treats. when i visit the brooder, they always seem to be happy to see me, but i never have anything fun to give them and it bums us all out (the chicks and myself). i figure they have to be getting bored with the chick feed, but i've heard they should eat the chick feed exclusively till they are 4 weeks old and then you can start giving them other stuff. is that the case?
also... i am under the impression that i need to give them grit when i incorporate other foods so they can digest it better. i read someones post on here that they give them sand and it works the same as grit. is that right? cuz i have plenty of sand on hand. i think they are already trying to get grit cuz they are pecking alot at the cement block wall in the coop. either that or they are trying to pull a "prison break" on me.
thanx for the advice.

 

[gryeyes]

They're old enough to get some small amount of treats a day, now. Like finely chopped hard-boiled egg, or scrambled egg, or shredded mozzarella cheese, or grapes cut in quarters, or mealworms.
(Just as examples.)

Construction sand, not "playground sand' is best. Cheap, too.

And they ARE planning a prison break, trust me. But they don't want to go very far, just out for a little while.

 

[Chicky Mama]

I would think something soft shouldn't hurt much at that age as long as they do have some kind of grit.

Just keep it to a minimum during the week until their bigger. My birds love bananas and cantelope & I figure its softer than their food, but that's me. Someone else may say not to but it's not likely it'll hurt them and it's healthy to boot.

 

[delfargo]

thanx for the input. so, gryeyes, the sand i have on hand is the kind you would put under the bottom of a swimming pool liner (just tore down my pool this year. actually the storms here in the midwest tore it down for me) it's finer than "playground sand". could i give 'em a little of that? if so, how much? thanx again.