Variation in Chick Foraging Behavior

[centrarchid]

I have several rabbit pens with groups of brooder reared chicks. Waiting out a storm; I sat down on a bucket by pen and began offering the live meal worms. Was first exposure to meal worms for these guys. They were slow to go after the meal worms at first. Three of the 30+ chicks got the picture and started going after the meal worms offered singly by me pushing the items up through bottom of the cage. The other birds then concentrated on stealing the meal worms from the 3 catchers. The catchers put in the most effort but got at least a piece of each prey item.

 

[RWise]

Mine hatched the 21/22 of last month and are outside in the brood house. Locking up last night there is commotion under the brooder, chicks jumping all about. So, I look under and the lights have attracted bugs! Yep the chicks are grabbing them right and left, and chattering happily.
Now when I replenish the food water, 3 come out and check things out, all 3 are cocks. After they check things out the others come out.

Brood house-12X16 building, dirt floor, 4x16 run.

 

[Ridgerunner]

When preparing corn from my garden for canning I collected a yogurt cup full of corn ear worms. I dumped those worms on a patch of bare soil near a brood or 10 week old free ranging chicks. Those chicks slowly and carefully started approaching those worms, cockerels in the lead of course. The got nearer and nearer when a worm wiggled. Run away! Run away! But they did not run far. Soon they started stalking those worms again, slowly and carefully approaching. A worm moved. Run away! Run away! This repeated four or five times when finally a cockerel got close enough to grab a worm. That's all it took. The rest attacked the pile and it was gone in a few seconds.