Trying to hand train chicks - need advice!

[TrishSki]

I'm trying to train my chicks to my call "Chick chick" by offering scrambled eggs out of my hand. Chicks are 6 days old and one or two will take a peck but they don't seem to enjoy scrambled eggs. Any other suggestions as to what type of food to try?

 

[DobieLover]

Mealies! Live or freeze dried. Mine went nuts over them.

 

[TrishSki]

Oh great idea! Can I find those at TSC? And just to double check, safe for 6 day old babies? Not too big??

 

[DobieLover]

I was feeding them to my chickens when they were that young. The freeze dried ones are quite brittle and break up easily.
You can find them at TSC or on Amazon. I purchased a large bag from Amazon because they love them so much and the price per ounce was much better.
We also have a colony started. All the original mealies are gone and we now have beetles, eggs and tiny mealies growing.

 

[rosemarythyme]

For very young chicks I would break up dried mealworms into pieces. Also make sure they have access to grit to help them digest their treat.

 

[BrahmaGirl2018]

For very young chicks I would break up dried mealworms into pieces. Also make sure they have access to grit to help them digest their treat.

You just put the grit in a separate bowl? Is there a grit for chicks verses grown chickens?

 

[deepbluesea]

Yes, there is a chick grit--it's smaller.

 

[rosemarythyme]

Chick grit is the size of extremely coarse sand. If you don't have any available you can sift through larger grit for smaller pieces, or sift through gravel or rocky soil for some smaller bits. Here's a photo of my 3 sizes of grit, with chick on left, adult on right:



I actually sprinkle some on their food, that's just my preference. Once they get older (big enough for the next size of grit) I offer it on the side just as I do with the adults.