What size treats

[Alyssandra]

I am trying to figure out what size the treats should be for my 5 week old chicks. I don't give them very many treats but have given them really small worms my daughter found for them in the garden (no chemicals used in it) as well as small (very small) crickets and oatmeal once. I as wondering what size there treats should be ....should I be giving them the slightly bigger crickets...what about lettuce and other greens....Is there a rule of thumb to go by with how big they can swallow?

 

[danielbrown]

They have sharp little beaks that rip off the perfect size pieces.

 

[annek]

I always cut up my stuff before I give it to them. I do this because I use pine chips for bedding and lost a chick to impacted crop I think.

I have a small grinder that I throw the strawberries, brocolli etc. in and chop it up. See, the treats were watery and they stuck to the chips when the chicks took them off and dropped in the bedding. In other words, they were eating chips with the treats. So now I use a tray about 12x12 with sides that I put a few cups of sand in along with the treat of the day and some of their crumbles, mix it all together and let them scratch and discover for the afternoon. This way the treat sticks to either crumbles or sand and they get grit along with the treats and it doesn't stick to the shavings. I also have not had any pecking problems which is good since I have a few more days to finish the coop.

 

[danielbrown]

Eating shavings stuck to treats can be a problem.
You can put it in a bowl or hold it in in you hand while they peck at it to prevent this. In adult chickens eating the bedding isn't much of a problem.

It's really fun to watch them get something they can't gobble down in one bite. They grab it and run to keep the others from getting it.

 

[annek]

Quote:
I tried both holding the treats and putting in a bowl. Mine are such pigs that they peck big chunks, grab it, run, drop in the chips then eat it. If they would politely stand there and peck and eat they would be fine. This was the only way I was able to feel okay about giving anything other than crumbles! I don't know how to give them manners but I always cut mine up now and coat to prevent the sticking.

I do give them banannas too but leave those whole to pick at, I also recently gave them a cantaloupe quarter whole to pick at. Hopefully they won't carry these pieces off and drop them to stick to the chips.

 

[Alyssandra]

I gave them some cut up watermelon.....one of them really liked it and was dragging pieces off everywhere then running back for more...two kind of pecked at it a little...and the fourth one tried it because everyone else was doing it....and then started trying to rub it off her beak...deffinatly didn't like it...but with that said it went over better then the yogurt two weeks ago...they didn't want anything to do with that. OMG the link to the mouse video is hillarious I didn't realize chickens would eat rodents! I don't think I am going to be feeding them to my chickens as they carry diseases and worms but was hillarious to watch! I think I need to get a suet cage and try some veggies and see what they think of that in a few day's.