What do I feed my baby chicks?

[AntiqueB]

I start giving little treats when they're a couple weeks old, and that's when I start adding a pinch of chick grit to their feed. Perhaps a bit of cucumber (they may only eat the soft inside) or lettuce. I also take them outside for maybe 15 minutes or so, gradually building the time as they get older. They will love to explore a little; last year, 3 of them destroyed an ant nest in 3 days. They'll also try to sun- or dust-bathe while they're out there.

 

[rosemarythyme]

Do you know the age when I should give them dried meal worms and protein like oats?

I start giving tiny amounts of treats at around 2 weeks, give or take. We're talking like 1-2 mealworms broken down into smaller pieces, per chick, daily. The treats start coming when I start letting the chicks out into the run, so I'm trying to train them to not be as afraid of my hand, which is useful when I need to round them up.

 

[Swbertrand1]

I start giving tiny amounts of treats at around 2 weeks, give or take. We're talking like 1-2 mealworms broken down into smaller pieces, per chick, daily. The treats start coming when I start letting the chicks out into the run, so I'm trying to train them to not be as afraid of my hand, which is useful when I need to round them up.

Our chicks will eat live mealworms until they can't eat any more, packing their little crops FULL, but they only get them a few times per day; the rest of the time they eat their Starter Feed. We have seen no reluctance to eat the Starter Feed alongside the mealworms as their appetites are super high 24/7.

You make a good point about hands. We find that if we cradle the worms in the palm of our hand and gently lower our hand into the brooder, they associate the hands with food and QUICKLY get past any trepidation that hands might be something to be feared. In fact, they're usually jumping into our hands as they're being lowered.....

 

[BlueHorse17]

Definitely save treats for when they are older. The chick starter you are giving them is balanced to help them grow. Most of the treats you would be giving them right now lack proper nutrition for optimal growth.

 

[K0k0shka]

I started giving my most recent babies a wet mash made from their chick crumble when they had pasty butt and now, at 10 weeks, they think that's the best treat ever.

My grown hens still think it's the best treat ever and will fight each other for it It has become a regular addition now.

 

[3KillerBs]

My grown hens still think it's the best treat ever and will fight each other for it It has become a regular addition now.

When I had a feeder get wet after the hailstorm that punched holes in my picnic fly the little ones taught the adults to eat wet feed.

 

[Swbertrand1]

When I had a feeder get wet after the hailstorm that punched holes in my picnic fly the little ones taught the adults to eat wet feed.

LOL! Now that's funny!

 

[TT4059]

We use a medicated chick feed for a Starter Feed, add probiotic with electrolytes to their water, and also give our chicks live mealworms (up to about 3/4" in length) from their 2nd day. They LOVE the mealworms!

Why mealworms and why so soon? It's what mama teaches them to eat at an early age. We watch our mama hens and how they teach the babies, what they teach the babies, and we've tried to mirror that to some degree. They feed the 2 day olds worms, so we do too.

BTW, if you've never seen ten (10) 5-day old chicks go NUTS over live mealworms being dropped into their brooder during the day, you're missing out on one of the funniest things you'll ever see your chickens do!

They race to the worms, grab one or two, run away ducking and diving, sometimes spinning in circles, and generally playing keep-away to keep others from stealing their worm(s) from them, then try to find a safe space to get it down. Other times, one will get one in her mouth and another will get the other end, and a tug-of-war ensues until either the worm breaks or one chick wins out. IT'S HILARIOUS, and THE CHICKS LOVE THE WORMS!

Try it sometime. Your chicks will LOVE you for the worms.........

Oh wow! They are 3 weeks old and I have dried meal worms… can I smash some up and give it to them?

 

[Swbertrand1]

Oh wow! They are 3 weeks old and I have dried meal worms… can I smash some up and give it to them?

Of course, but I wouldn't crush them. Also, make sure they continue to eat their Starter Feed if getting mealworm treats. We have no problem with them eating both.