Worried about the feed I give to my chicks :(

[MarioBranwell]

I am kind of a new breeder and have almost 3 week old chicks and I started feeding grains from 3 days ago but I was feeding chick starter feed before that. I never had any problems so far so good. Today when I read a post from a forum they said not to feed chickens raw beans/ grains. Im bit confused now. will that cause any problems to my chicks? I never added any grits on their feed but I usually let them free roam so they might eat little bit of sand for grit.

My feed includes (raw rice, smashed corn, lentils, green gram, different type of beans etc)

I have attached my chicken picture and the type of feed I give them now.

 

[A_Fowl_Guy]

Here is an some info on feeding chicks scratch.

 

[Folly's place]

Your chicks do need grit, and a balanced chick or all flock feed that's labeled for chicks. It's very very unlikely that your whole grain diet is balanced nutritionally, or that the chicks won't pick out the best tasting and easiest to eat pieces, and leave the rest.
Mary

 

[Melky]

Raw grains are not available as much as fermented or as digestible. I would stop the extra homemade feed and go for something more natural commercial or milled myself that is a starter grower or flockraiser feed of 20%. I would choose medicated as well to protect against coccidiosis. The chicks need chick grit 24/7 free choice along with food/water. They are not probably able to get enough grit free ranging and you should never assume they are. Leads to crop problems. Homemade treats not more than 10% of daily diet and scratch should not be fed till adulthood 28 weeks or greater. There is no nutritional benefit and subtracts from their overall nutrition.

 

[Melky]

Here is a chicken treat chart. The items you are feeding raw should never be raw.
https://www.backyardchickens.com/ar...—the-best-treats-for-backyard-chickens.47738/

 

[Kiki]

Switch back to the chick starter stat.

 

[Melky]

I’m not sure if you are organic or not but there are both available milled and commercial.

 

[Chick-N-Fun]

Please just feed your babies Chick Starter! It is formulated to give them what they need. Good luck!

 

[Al Capon]

Toss a ham bone in there and make a nice pot of soup, maybe..

 

[Melky]

Here is an some info on feeding chicks scratch.

View attachment 1661027

I would not use this or share it. Treats are never supposed to be more than 10 % of diet including scratch and it is never recommended prior to adulthood even by the manufacturer and most poultry experts. Feed high in protein and/carbs plus scratch over 10% combined with other treats can lead to fatty liver disease.