I got 5 EE's on 2/21/14 when they were a few days old. When can I start giving them other stuff to eat besides the starter feed for chicks? Any specific suggestions on something that will tickle their fancy?
we what I do is give my chick starter pellets (and water), and every now and then give them, bread and as they get older give them food scarp, because chicks grow so fast they need lots of nutrients and protein and all that stuff to help them grow hope this helps
I didn't introduce a lot of extra stuff when they were real small because the chick starter has the protein, vitamins, and minerals they need to get started and I didn't want to mess that up. The only extra items I gave them in those first few weeks was mashed boiled egg and a small bit of uncooked ground oatmeal. The oatmeal was at the suggestion of someone at BYC because one of my chicks had runny poo. The oatmeal firmed it right up. When you introduce them to foods other than starter feed, egg or ground up oatmeal, don't forget to give them chick grit so that they can digest it. Enjoy your chicks!
I don't feed much besides their starter either but I do occasionally give them some chopped, hard boiled egg which they love and they also go crazy for peas! They all grab a pea and start running around the box, peeping like mad to keep it away from all the others even though they each have one! Funny things.
We've given ours a couple dried mealworms a day after they have figured out their regular food and water. They loved them, and it encouraged them even more to come running to us. Still works to this day if we rattle the bag.
I don't give chicks anything but chick starter until they have had an opportunity to spend some time in their outside brooder on the ground in order to eat some good dirt and grit to help digest it. I will put them outside on the ground on a good sunny day for an hour or two at least a couple of times. Then I start them out with mealworms. As Duckman said, hand feeding mealworms makes for some pretty tame chicks!
My chicks are coming mid April. I purchased the starter feed and grit. Can I just throw it all on the ground or should I put it in a bowl? Can I mix it together??
