Yogurt Fail and Other Treat Adventures

[joedie]

Mine absolutely LOVE yogurt and cottage cheese BUT, they never like anything the first time I put it out. They think I'm trying to poison them but once they taste it and know what it is they don't refuse it the second time. Dumb clucks!

 

[fours2many]

I gave my 2 week old chicks some mixed veggies (broccoli, carrots, beans, peas, peppers) with a little bit of their started food in it. Well they loved it. They ran around with pieces of broccoli hanging out of their mouths...the chase began. Plate was flying in the air. They were hopping over each other all running and grabbing the same piece from each others beak. Like they have the best piece of all. Didn't they realize there was an entire plate full. LOL!

Then, I thought I cleaned out the brooder really good. I had to remove the 10/ 2 week old chicks to put in the 3 day old babies. Wouldn't you know it, 1 of the babies found a small piece I missed and the game was on again, this time in miniature form. Then after I finally got that piece away, I added the 2 week olds back to the brooder...next thing I know, one of the babies is chasing an older chick trying to steal a pea pod. Then the game was on again...20 chicks all trying to get the same pea pod. Where are they hiding these veggies...I think there are little satchels under those wings.

My daughter emptied the entire brooder last night, added new paper, new pine shavings, disinfected it. Then today, one of the 2 week old, saw what he thought was a piece of food. Grabbed it and ran. The game began. I was trying to watch which chick had it. Total mess, chickens flying, squeaking, pine everywhere. Turns out it was just a bright colored piece of the newspaper. I think they were hoping for veggies.

I will wait till the babies are much bigger to try veggies again. I was afraid they would get trampled on. I am sure they slept good last night. I know I did.

 

[elmo]

I mix yogurt with some chicken feed crumbles and offer it this way to my flock. I got the idea from another BYC member here. No muss, no mess.

 

[Pet Duck Boy]

My chicks will eat or peck at just about anything that's in my hand. They have their likes and dislikes, but they love just about all the basic treats....such as yogurt, worms, crickets, some cracked corn, grit, greens, various veggies, and a little bread. Mine aren't picky!

 

[donnavee]

When mine were peeps, they hardly liked any treats the first time offered. They were even afraid of earthworms - disappointing to me since I have a worm bin and was looking forward to thowing out a hand full for them to feast on. Everyone said hang a cabbage to keep them entertained for hours. Mine yawned and didn't even think about taking a bite. But gradually, they started eating more things. I springled sunflower kernels on the yogurt and now they love it, go nuts over worms and eat just about any kind of leafy green. They still won't eat apples or bananas but like most other fruits. But I agree that they like and dislike foods as a flock. Probably because they always want whatever the other is having. Just like people, their palate seems to mature as they get older. Try mealworms - never met a chicken that could resist them.

 

[Chicken Little Farmer]

Quote:
I have heard and read that it is bad to feed chicks grass clippings because the impact their crops.....

 

[Pet Duck Boy]

Quote:
I have heard and read that it is bad to feed chicks grass clippings because the impact their crops.....

I'd have to disagree, I've gotten plenty of mixed replies. I simply let my chicks out to roam my yard, and I let the grass grow out so it's several inches long so they can have some greens in their diet. I've been doing this for a week straight and havn't had a problem, some of the pieces my chicks tear off are pretty long. Some around 4-5 inches, almost as tall as they are. Everyone gets a few capfulls of grit every couple of days and they seem super healthy and are pooping and eating their starter just fine.

 

[RAWR]

try strawberries :3

 

[amity3520]

Well, ours devour every blueberry in reach of the blueberry bush, and they also like lettuce and worms. Yum!

 

[tinychicky]

if you don't want them to make a mess of the yogurt, try freezing it mixed with a little chick feed. i know my chicks always went CRAZY for it! they have such fun trying to figure out how to eat it! they're occupied for hours. i remember when mine were still chicks... *sniff* now they're all grown up!