Treats

[5peeps]

So at what age can you start giving treats ?

 

[Davaroo]

Wrong question. You meant to ask, "Should I give them treats at all."

Chickens have a high metabolic rate and rather precise nutritional needs. They really dont need variety in their diet, nor do they care about it. A good ration will do nicely and they'll be as happy as ever with that providing all the nutrition. Diluting that with supplemental "treats" is unneccesary.

If you must give them treats, make it stuff like greens, excess eggs, scrambled and fed back (never eggs-in-shell), meat and simple table scraps, Black Oil Sunflower Seed, and some scratch grain. But again, go easy on this stuff.

But I know you wont listen. You're dying to give your 'babies' something extra and will be forking the goodies to them just as soon as someone says its okay! So here goes:

Anytime after 8-10 weeks should be safe.

 

[S0rcy]

Hey there, I have been giving mine treats from 3 weeks, small bits of lettuce, occasionally one of our stone baked pizza crusts with nothing on them to keep their little minds occupied. Once or twice a green onion stem, mealworms (once they figured out what they were they LOVED them) bits of broccoli, apple and other fruit, cooked quinoa and recently a cooked edamame bean or two (I have four Buff Orps, so a few edamame go a long way LOL) Yesterday we tried some plain yogurt, they loved that (6 weeks now). Very small amounts, they now know me and the children as the giver of all bribes and will sit happily on a leg or a hand or even a shoulder in the yard. I haven't tried any corn or oats yet, I'll wait till the weather cools off since they have plenty to scratch for in the yard now as spring is warming up but I've seen some people give cooked oatmeal too. Today they got a few tiny bites of a non-sugared cake I had made with apples.

They look excellent and have never had runny poo or any distress.

 

[ncof300d]

I must be really bad.
I give my chickens banana peels (they go nuts for these), egg shells, and peanuts.

 

[5peeps]

Quote:
elderoo ,

Thank you for your answer , When I said Treats I guess I should have been a little more clear I am talking about things on the CHICKEN TREATS chart on this web site if it is so bad then why is it there . As for the not listening part it is fine I really don't need to give them anything I have two little kids and thought it might be nice if they could feed so greens every now and then .


Thanks
The Newbie

 

[Davaroo]

I tend to be a little harsh - but Im making strides.
Bear with me.

Use the chart ( I didnt know it was there) and follow common sense. Everything will be fine.

But, if I'd said just that, things would have gotten rather dull, eh?

 

[S0rcy]

: blink blink :

Quote:

 

[Davaroo]

: blink blink :

Somebody needs to liven this place up, SOrcy!

 

[S0rcy]

Riiiiiiiigggghhhhht

 

[gritsar]

At one week I gave a small amount of chopped, hard-boiled egg....1/2 an egg for 21 chicks. They loved it.
At two weeks I gave them a small amount of cheerios (less than 10). They love them too, but weren't quite sure what to do with them. They played keep away with them more than anything. I also found a stray cricket about that time and they went nuts. Next thing you know I was mowing the lawn in hopes of finding them more crickets; which I did.
At three weeks I gave them some millet, 1 strand to 21 chicks, about once every 3rd day. That's their favorite so far. I also started putting about 4 tbsp. of very fine grit in their brooder every 3rd day.
Then there was the spider; a large one about the size of a quarter. I didn't give that to them. I turned on their light one evening and it jumped down from the wall and started running across the floor of their brooder before I could react. Bad news for the spider. My four big girls divided it in a split second.
The only ill-effect (if you want to call it that) I've noticed is that their poo gets a little dark when they eat bugs.