When is it ok to give my chicks table scraps?

[kelseygirl707]

Yay Chicks! :

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You would not want to give egg shells to chicks. Their kidneys cannot process the extra calcium. You can give them to your laying pullets and hens, however. They should be rinsed. Some folks bake and crush them and some just crush them. The crushing is so they won't recognize them as eggs and start eating their own.

Yup, Shells are not for grit purpose, they are cor Calcium Purpose

 

[phasian]

I give grit from the start and then start with treats at 2 weeks of age. Even though if they were outside with a mother hen their food diversity would be great, I worry about cutting things up tiny enough to prevent crop impaction.

At this age I give finely minced chickweed, lettuces, carrot tops, and I do give garlic. It is great for the immune system. Tiny redworms are appreciated by the chicks too. I also add 1/2 tsp. of blackstrap molasses to their water for the 1st week, and then use apple cider vinegar in the same proportion after that.

A grassy divot is something I add to the brooder at this age as well. It gives them something to climb on & dig around in as well nibble. This also exposes them to microbes.

I just read a book that suggested giving chicks worm casting to improve their immunity as it provides beneficial microbes. Haven't tried this yet, but think it sounds great since I keep a worm bin.

 

[off-grid hen]

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I read somewhere that too much calcium can hurt the chicks kidneys, and not to feed them layer feed for this reason. So I would assume no egg shells?

 

[Noymira]

Yay Chicks! :

Quote:
You would not want to give egg shells to chicks. Their kidneys cannot process the extra calcium. You can give them to your laying pullets and hens, however. They should be rinsed. Some folks bake and crush them and some just crush them. The crushing is so they won't recognize them as eggs and start eating their own.

Thanks for the tip!​

 

[jmtrestle]

I give my egg laying hens/rooster kitchen scraps(no peels, nothing old), they are a year old. My bantam show birds don't get any scraps, just crumbs and scratch.

 

[OkChickens]

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I also let them out in a pen in the grass a few times a week. The big thing is that by free ranging they get Grit from dirt and sand to digest there food easier. I just like to know the feed they eat. I will cut up some lettuce very small at around 5-6 weeks old maybe once a week. It is all a personal choice of what is fed to your chickens. There is not a law of can and can't. Some people feed Corn chops from day 1 on and I personally do not agree with that but it is not what I think its there choice. All that should be done is common sense to the scraps that are fed to them.


Nate

 

[imachickenprincess]

Yay Chicks! :

https://www.backyardchickens.com/web/viewblog.php?id=2593-Treats_Chart

Above is the link to the Treats chart. It is a good resource for what is and is not good for your chickens.

That said, if you give your chicks treats that would require "teeth" don't forget to also provide chick grit.

I think the caution is that you don't want the percentage of treats to food get too high. I think I read some where, not over 3% of their diet. You want to make sure that they are getting a balance of what they need to grow and be healthy. If they were with a mama hen, she would probably point out the best things to eat. When they are not, we tend to rely on the feed manufacturers to provide a good balance in the chick starter feed.

Hope that helps. Have fun and good luck.

Thanks sooooooooo much! This was amazingly helpful! and thanks to everyone else who posted as well!

 

[Ogre1]

I have been giving my 1 week old chicks little scraps such as plain yogurt with chick feed sprinkled on top, ground up eggs shells for grit, cooked rice and finely chopped lettuce. They are inside as it is winter here and love all the scraps. Of course they have plenty of access to chick feed. We tend to focus too much on "store bought" poultry food when it wasn't too long ago that chickens were raised on what mother nature provided. All are happy & healthy.

 

[BrandyF]

Total newby question - does dirt count as grit? It's got a fairly high sand content...thanks!