What is your chicks' favorite treat?

[jtbrown]

I happened on an old thread about alfalfa, I had some for the rodent type pets we keep given to us from a friend with an old guinea pig she had that passed (new bag). So, I took it to the 6 week old bantams, they tore it up, then took it to the 6 week old standards spending their first two night in coop (of course the only 35 degree weather we've had in a month) and they went right at it. Provide grit all the time. Another thread said the alfalfa was good for keeping bellies full and warmth. Also said you can get alfalfa cubes at pet stores or TSC and add warm water and feed as warm treat. They also like rolled oats, worms my sons forage just for them, and boiled eggs.

 

[epeloquin]

Our girls LOVE oats. We crumble them a bit right now (they are just a week old).

I am planning to try meal worms and baby crickets this week. Can't wait.

I have heard the need grit to digest bugs and I've heard of a lot of people who seem to not provide grit.

Do they need grit to handle bugs?

 

[epeloquin]

I tried giving my week+ old girls a piece of strawberry the other day and you might have thought I had put a mongoose in there with them!

 

[jbrookebarrow]

Crickets!! They've only received crickets as treats twice now, but they come running when I call them and climb all over me, and they're only about 2 weeks old.

Tried worms. Try were a generic type picked up at a bait shop; somethig called "jumpers." Won't make that mistake again. They couldn't have been more uninterested.

 

[jtbrown]

I think they absolutely need grit for bugs (what I've gathered here in last 6 weeks). I just sprinkled it on top of their feed at first and now that they are a little bit older I put a bowl of it out for them. Strawberries scared them here too. Also my bantams are much slower to try something than my standards of the same age. Yogurt was left completely alone in both brooders, I haven't tried it in awhile.

 

[audioguy]

Tried the egg, no good. Watermelon, no way, but earthworms and small bugs, watch out!!

 

[shadust1]

so what everyone is saying is that i need to cover my strawberry bushes...lol....this is the 4th year that ive had them so hopefully the strawberries will be a bit bigger....guess not if the chickens get ahold of them...lol....thats ok..im willing to share....

i love my babies!!!

 

[lutz123]

Berries!! They love them - strawberries, blueberries, and especially blackberries. They are 4+ weeks old now and have just started to appreciate it. They also LOVE when a stink bug flies into the brooder! I don't think I'll share with them that there are better tasting bugs out there.

 

[guineahen14]

Mealworms, grapes, watermelon, bread and leftover cooked chicken. They are the desendants of dinosaurs for sure.

 

[Sandy16]

our girls like the following (in no particular order):

pancakes
yogurt
spinach
blueberries
cheese
raspberries
mulberries (how convenient that our neighbor has one that the branches hang over our deck!)
BOSS
mealworms
any bugs
grass clippings
corn

we also let them free range during the day, so who knows what all they find in the yard!