What kind treats for chicks

[MRNpoultry]

The post about yogurt got me wondering what kind of treats I can give my chicks, they are now about two and a half weeks old. I don't give them chick grit. I think it will be a good change from mash.
My tractor supplies sells chick grit, whould you buy any.

Thanks in advance

 

[airmom1c05]

If you feed them anything besides their chick starter/grower, you should provide the grit. Especially if you feed them scratch or grain like corn. Scratch and corn cause the birds to get hot, so I don't feed it to mine in hot weather. Black oil sunflower seeds are a healthy treat as well as plain probiotic yogurt. Mine won't eat yogurt unless I mix it with cooked oatmeal (the old fashioned kind of oats).

 

[MRNpoultry]

They need grit for yogurt?
Will they eat alot of grit instead of there food.

 

[mac_chooks]

I'm worried about that too. I put in fine sand thinking they would sand bathe and they started to gobble it like it was the best thing ever! I took it right out.

I have given mine some uncooked oatmeal so I want them to have a little grit.

At the local feed/pet store they have BLUE bird grit. It looks pretty small -- would it be ok for 3 week old chicks?

Can you feed cooked oatmeal without grit? Probably not right, since they still can't grind it up even though it is softer?

 

[MRNpoultry]

I probaly whouldn't, but how about yogurt or apple sauce.

 

[sweetshoplady]

My chicks think that if I wet their chick starter that it is a wonderful treat. I have also given them a few crickets (at 3 weeks). Since their primary diet is the chick starter, I haven't worried about grit. I do give them a strawberry or 2 to share between the 5 of them, on occasion.

I've read on here about mixing the yogurt with the chick starter. Haven't tried it though.

 

[MRNpoultry]

Can you put water on med-chick starter/grower?

 

[damselfish]

Well, I'm new, so you may not want to rely on me, but our 4 week old chicks love oatmeal. Dry, and whirled in the food processor so the pieces are smaller. We give it as a treat out of our hands to get them used to letting us get close to them.

We also just gave them some warm cooked oatmeal today since it is cold here. It took them a few minutes to figure out what it was, and then there was a feeding frenzy.

17 chicks, maybe 2/3 cup of oatmeal total? Less?

We also give them a few greens and the occasional bug.

They are on regular chick starter.

Our feed store only had large chicken grit (granite), so I just whack into smaller pieces with a mallet. I scatter it in there. So far they eat it like food if it's left there, so I don't leave it free choice yet.

 

[cooliseo]

Not to get off subject or anything, but when my easter egger chicks were 10weeks old, We gave little bits of bread to them. It looked like a football fight.

 

[MRNpoultry]

When my chicks from last year were that old we gave them bread they went crazy over it. I just gave them warm mash and they were jumping over each other to get to it. They have chaught some bugs that have flown into there brooder.