For those who’re a proud proprietor of child chicks, then you know the way valuable and delicate these creatures are. And naturally, you in all probability wish to make sure that your little feathered buddies develop up wholesome and robust.
One of the vital essential elements of elevating child chicks is their weight loss program. However what do child chicks eat?
Child chicks ought to eat a well-balanced weight loss program that features proteins, nutritional vitamins, minerals, and water. Business chick starter feed is a superb foundation for his or her weight loss program as a result of it has excellent ratios of carbohydrates, protein, nutritional vitamins, and minerals.
Interested by when you may transition your chicks to an “grownup” weight loss program, and what a child chick’s weight loss program ought to really entail? On this weblog put up, we’ll let you know every little thing you must know.
What Do You Feed Child Chicks After They Hatch?
For the primary few hours (as much as 24-72 hours) after your chicks are born, they don’t really want any meals.
They’ll survive solely off the vitamins from the egg they hatched out of. That is why chicks you buy by way of the mail aren’t despatched with any meals – they’re despatched as day-old chicks and don’t fairly want any meals but.
After a day or so, you’ll wish to begin offering your chicks with meals and water.
A starter feed is broadly advisable by professionals for child chicks. Chick starter feed has all of the very important substances a child chick requires for wholesome development, however it may be given in two totally different varieties – medicated and non-medicated.
Medicated feed accommodates Amprolium, which helps in stopping coccidiosis.
Chick starter is totally different from grownup rooster feed as a consequence of its protein content material. It’s going to comprise round 18 to 22% protein, with the ratios being lowered as your birds grow old.
It doesn’t matter a lot whether or not you’re raising meat birds (broilers) or laying hens – as chicks, they want about the identical portions of protein.
What Do Child Chicks Drink?
Of their first hours and days, a chick’s weight loss program ought to primarily encompass water. The little birds require clear, contemporary water across the clock.
It’s advisable to present chicks lukewarm water (someplace between 85 and 90F) that may enable them to drink and digest it shortly.
Chicks must devour round 2.5-4 ounces of feed and about 4-6 ounces of water every day.
Ensure the water supply is shallow sufficient for the chicks to drink with out getting moist or drowning.
Specialised chick waterers can be found, however any clear shallow container, reminiscent of saucers or plastic lids can suffice.
In case you are nervous about drowning, you may put just a few pebbles within the base of your waterer, which is able to forestall the chicks from hanging out inside.
What to Feed Child Chicks Throughout the First Week
The primary week of a chick’s life is vital to its general well being and well-being. Throughout this time, chicks want excessive ranges of protein to encourage wholesome development and robust feathers.
Once more, a chick starter feed with a minimum of 20% protein is your best option throughout their first week.
Since child chicks might be messy eaters, it’s vital to decide on a feed with small items to keep away from waste.
It’s also possible to complement their weight loss program with hard-boiled eggs or chicks-sized items of scrambled eggs in the event you select, however this isn’t vital.
Transferring ahead, every week brings a brand new set of challenges and desires in your flock.
Under, I’ll break down what you ought to be feeding your child chicks throughout their first week of life, in addition to what they need to be consuming as they transition into the following few weeks.
What Ought to 2- Week Previous Chicks Eat?
Proceed to offer chick starters. It’s also possible to start so as to add some contemporary greens or greens to their weight loss program to introduce them to new flavors and textures.
Remember to finely chop any greens or veggies to make them simpler in your chicks to eat.
What Ought to 3-Week Previous Chicks Eat?
By three weeks previous, your chicks can be extra energetic and curious. They’ll be desperate to discover their environment, together with any tasty treats you supply them.
Along with persevering with with their starter feed, you may start providing small quantities of scratch grains or cracked corn.
These snacks must be given moderately, as too many can forestall your chicks from getting the vitamins they want from their common feed.
What Ought to 4-Week Previous Chicks Eat?
Proceed with the starter feed and occasional treats, but additionally supply grit to assist in digestion.
Grit is small items of gravel or rocks that chickens must devour to interrupt down their meals of their gizzard.
What Ought to 5-Week Previous Chicks Eat?
Your chicks can be getting greater and stronger daily. Preserve supplying starter feed and hold providing grit and occasional treats to maintain your chicks glad and wholesome.
What Ought to 6 and 7-Week Previous Chickens Eat?
On the six- and seven-week marks, your chicks can be getting near maturity. They’ll be nearly totally feathered out and able to be part of the remainder of your flock.
Proceed feeding them starter feed and providing loads of contemporary water, grit, and occasional snacks to advertise good well being and a robust immune system.
When Can Child Chicks Eat Regular Meals?
When chicks attain round 8 weeks of age, they need to be prepared to start the transition to adult chicken feed.
This transition must be a gradual course of, and it’s important that you simply take your time to keep away from inflicting any digestive upsets.
Start by mixing a small quantity (round 10%) of grownup rooster feed with their starter feed for per week, regularly rising the quantity of grownup feed over time. Inside just a few weeks, you may totally transition your chickens to grownup rooster feed.
When selecting an grownup rooster feed, search for one that gives a balanced weight loss program with all the vital vitamins your chickens want.
Most rooster feeds have a protein content material of round 16%, which is ideal for grownup chickens.
It’s vital to notice that the transition interval and kind of feed can differ relying on the breed of your chickens.
Some breeds could also be able to transition earlier or later than others, so hold a detailed eye on their conduct and weight.
Be sure you select the suitable kind of grownup meals in your birds relying on their goal – broiler feed for meat birds, layer feed for laying hens, and many others.
Do Child Chicks Want Dietary supplements?
Child chicks don’t want any sorts of dietary supplements. You may select to present them Sav a Chick, which is a complement that accommodates electrolytes and different vitamins, if they seem weak.
Nonetheless, this isn’t vital in case your chicks seem like wholesome.
So far as mineral dietary supplements go, chickens solely want dietary supplements as soon as they close to laying age.
Laying hens must be given calcium dietary supplements if you begin transitioning them to grownup feed (no want to do that in the event you’re feeding a layer pellet that already accommodates calcium).
Broilers don’t want any further supplementation in any respect.
How A lot Ought to You Feed Child Chicks?
Usually, it’s advisable to offer 1-2 tablespoons of starter feed per rooster per day.
This quantity must be divided into three or 4 small meals all through the day to make sure the chicks are getting sufficient vitamins (or use an auto feeder).
As your child chicks develop, you may regularly enhance the quantity of feed you give them – to assist their sustained development and elevated body weight.
You also needs to monitor the way in which they behave in the case of feeding. In the event that they’re continually pecking on the feed and ending it shortly, you’ll have to extend the quantity.
However, if the chicks are leaving meals untouched, chances are you’ll must lower the quantity.
Which Treats Are Good for Chicks?
Child chicks don’t essentially want any treats, however if you wish to give them just a few right here and there, that’s effective. Simply do not forget that moderation is essential!
Some good choices embrace:
- Cucumbers
- Kale
- Squash
- Watermelon
- Mealworms
- Bananas
- Strawberries
What Herbs Are Good for Child Chicks?
There are a number of wholesome herbs you may feed your child chicks (moderately, in fact), like:
- Parsley – is a good supply of vitamin C, which may help increase your chick’s immune system.
- Oregano – full of wholesome nutritional vitamins and minerals.
- Rosemary – it has antifungal properties that assist forestall respiratory infections.
- Thyme – additionally full of nutritional vitamins and minerals. It’s notably excessive in iron, which may help forestall anemia in your chicks.
- Basil – an incredible supply of vitamin Okay, which helps your chicks construct robust bones.
What Shouldn’t Child Chicks Eat?
Though chicks can eat lots of the meals adults can, some can hurt their development and general well being, notably when being fed liberally and never moderately.
Some no-nos for all chickens, together with grownup birds, are:
- Avocado
- Chocolate
- Apple seeds
- Uncooked potato
- Tomato items and components
- Onions
- Something that’s moldy
- Rhubarb
- Something with caffeine/a lot of added sugar
Although chances are you’ll not discover any issues by feeding your chicks these meals from time to time, often together with them in your birds’ diets can result in issues like upset abdomen, diarrhea, poor development, and even loss of life (in excessive instances).
As a rule, if one thing might be given to grownup birds moderately (as a deal with), it’s best to keep away from giving to chicks till they’re 6 – 7 weeks previous.
Now, issues might get a little bit complicated in the case of issues that grownup bircs can eat, however chicks actually shouldn’t.
I put the commonest gadgets right into a desk so that they’re straightforward to digest (pun meant). I additionally bolded the meals which can be secure in your adults birds however not in your chicks…
| Meals | Can grownup chickens eat it? | Can child chicks eat it? |
|---|---|---|
| Uncooked potato | Sure | Carefully |
| Uncooked potato pores and skin | Sure | No |
| Banana | Sure, as a deal with | Carefully (an excessive amount of sugar) |
| Apple fruit flesh | Sure | Carefully |
| Carrot | Sure | Carefully |
| Strawberry | Sure | Carefully |
| Tomato fruit | Sure | Carefully |
| Cucumber | Sure | Carefully |
| Celery | Sure | No |
| Nuts | Sure | Carefully (crush them first) |
| Onion | Carefully | No |
| Garlic | Carefully | No |
| Oatmeal | Sure | Sure, however after they’re 6 weeks previous |
| Kidney beans | Sure, however cooked | Sure, however cooked |
| Lavender | Sure | Sure, moderately |
| Poison ivy | Sure | No |
| Grass clippings | Sure | Sure, however after they’re 6 weeks previous, moderately |
| Goat feed | Sure | No |
| Swiss chard | Sure | No |
| Inexperienced peppers | Sure | Sure, however after they’re 6 weeks previous |
| Squash | Sure | Sure, however after they’re 4 weeks previous |
| Corn | Sure, moderately | Sure, however after they’re 4 weeks previous |
| Radish | Sure | Sure, after they’re 4 weeks previous |
| Peanut butter | Sure, moderately | No |
| Sunflower seeds (unsalted) | Sure | No |
| Zucchini | Sure | Sure, after they’re 6 weeks previous, moderately |
| Spinach | Sure | Sure, after they’re 4 weeks previous |
You may get a full record with much more meals in PDF format here.
Can You Drive Feed a Child Chick?
Drive-feeding a child chick just isn’t advisable. Whereas it might appear to be a good suggestion to try to get them to eat, it might really trigger extra hurt than good.
When a chick just isn’t consuming, it’s normally an indication that one thing else is incorrect.
For those who pressure meals into their beak, it might trigger them to aspirate, which suggests the meals goes into their lungs as an alternative of their abdomen.
What Do You Feed a Struggling Child Chick?
When you’ve got a child chick that isn’t feeling properly, there are methods to get them to eat… One is to supply them some plain yogurt.
Yogurt is straightforward on their abdomen and has reside cultures, which may help their digestive system.
One other approach is to dip their beak in some sugar water to stimulate their urge for food.
Moreover their common weight loss program, you too can give your poor chick some treats to assist entice them to eat.
Scrambled eggs are an excellent protein supply, for instance. It’s also possible to strive providing them some mealworms or finely chopped fruit and veggies.
So there you could have it! All the things you must learn about what child chicks eat…
It’s not too difficult to feed a flock. Child chicks want a little bit of particular consideration, requiring extra frequent feedings (and in smaller quantities) and of sure vitamins to keep away from upsetting their delicate digestive tracts.
Take note of the guidelines above to ensure your chicks get precisely what they want and also you’ll just do effective!
