Would this be good enough?

[sylviethecochin]

As for the recipe:
Skip the bread. It's pointless.

Consider what kind of oatmeal you're using. Quick? Instant? Irish?
Remember that an egg is some 75% water. You'll have to factor out the water in the nutritional analysis, because it's just replacing water the chick would have drunk.

And here is a Purina Chick feed label. Do some math with the oatmeal and eggs, and try to get your recipe to match these nutrients as closely as possible. They've been doing this a long time, and they know what a chick should be eating.

Also, because of the amount of fiber in oatmeal, you may have to add grit to the chicks' diet so that they can digest it properly. Good luck on your project.

 

[Chickenupho]

As for the recipe:
Skip the bread. It's pointless.

Consider what kind of oatmeal you're using. Quick? Instant? Irish?
Remember that an egg is some 75% water. You'll have to factor out the water in the nutritional analysis, because it's just replacing water the chick would have drunk.

And here is a Purina Chick feed label. Do some math with the oatmeal and eggs, and try to get your recipe to match these nutrients as closely as possible. They've been doing this a long time, and they know what a chick should be eating.

Also, because of the amount of fiber in oatmeal, you may have to add grit to the chicks' diet so that they can digest it properly. Good luck on your project.

Thank you!!! For the “grit” I’ve seen people purchase oyster shell, could I sub the eggshell instead?

 

[sylviethecochin]

Thank you!!! For the “grit” I’ve seen people purchase oyster shell, could I sub the eggshell instead?

There are two different kinds of grit, soft and hard. Soft is used in the making of eggshells, and is basically oyster shell or some other form of calcium. Hard is rocks. You want the rocks. And they should be tiny rocks, for chicks. They go into the gizzard and grind up the food. I'm not sure of the exact size needed; my chicks are raised outside and procure their own grit. I would suggest a field trip to the feed store to make a size comparison.

https://poultrykeeper.com/general-chickens/types-of-poultry-grit/

 

[lena_]

Interesting! Good luck with your science fair! Have you made allowances for any cockerels that may hatch?

 

[Raptorchick]

Hello!! So, I’m hatching eggs from Trader Joe’s for the science fair and it’s been 15 days and 6 eggs are developing well. I was trying to think of a recipe for chick starter and after doing some research the easiest and most effortless method seemed to be the simply mash up a boiled egg and add some oatmeal, ,soak some stale bread and mix all of these together... Would this be good enough?

This sounds like an awesome project! I wonder what kind of chicks you'll end up hatching... I've never thought about what breed my organic brown eggs might be
Just a side note, I had one of my favorite hens pass away, and I found two of her green eggs still in my fridge. They had been there at least a week. They both hatched, and now my boyfriends mother is afraid of eating our colored eggs
Good luck with your project! I've used a handful of small driveway gravel as chick grit before, cant say it was sanitary but it worked

 

[lovingmyhens]

I’m of the opinion that you’ll end up spending more going the homemade route and may not get all the nutrients the chicks need. A 50 lb bag of chick starter is on sale at TSC for 14.99. That will last forever for your chicks plus if you factor in time (time is money!) and gas cause you’ll be going to the store more often...you get to do the math!

 

[Chickenupho]

Thank you guys for the suggestions!!

 

[Mosey2003]

I have never heard of a grocery store selling fertile eggs. They have to by law refrigerate them. So how does that work.

There is an enormous thread someone of tons of people buying free range eggs from the grocery and hatching them. Trader Joe's doesn't advertise them as hatching eggs I'm sure, but people know that they often are fertilized, so they give it a go for fun.

To the OP - it's a much better idea to just buy the chick feed. For the chicks, especially.

 

[MissChick@dee]

Well I just don’t know about Trader Joe’s....
BTW grit is for digestion.
Oyster Shell is for calcium.

 

[FlomatonsFlocks]

Look up how to sprout fodder from oats. A bag of oats costs less than chicken feed and it only takes days to sprout. Highly nutritious! As long as you already have hens laying eggs, it's cost effective to give them eggs as well! Let us know if you find an even more efficient way!