Mealworms for 9 day old chicks?

[ArraAchicksMama]

Can I give these to my 9 day old chicks? If yes, do they need the chick grit with it?

Just wanna get them occupied/entertain. They have started to "dig" in their brooder like they're looking for something.

 

[Debbie292d]

Scratching is their nature. If you want to sprinkle some grower crumbles around you could.

They really shouldn't have anything besides their starter feed for the first few weeks. Then, a little scrambled egg is usually easier on their digestive system. Mealworms are very high fat, and the chicks are so small so they should only have a minuscule amount of them.

Yes, they'll need grit when feeding them anything besides their grower. We use garden dirt and put a dish of that in there.

Are you where the weather is warm? You could try get them outside for a little while too.

 

[ArraAchicksMama]

Scratching is their nature. If you want to sprinkle some grower crumbles around you could.

They really shouldn't have anything besides their starter feed for the first few weeks. Then, a little scrambled egg is usually easier on their digestive system. Mealworms are very high fat, and the chicks are so small so they should only have a minuscule amount of them.

Yes, they'll need grit when feeding them anything besides their grower. We use garden dirt and put a dish of that in there.

Are you where the weather is warm? You could try get them outside for a little while too.

Why do my hatchery tells me not to expose them to dirt til 7 weeks or so? Even the dirt that they are going to be in when they move into the coop. I am CONFLICTED.

 

[ArraAchicksMama]

A

Scratching is their nature. If you want to sprinkle some grower crumbles around you could.

They really shouldn't have anything besides their starter feed for the first few weeks. Then, a little scrambled egg is usually easier on their digestive system. Mealworms are very high fat, and the chicks are so small so they should only have a minuscule amount of them.

Yes, they'll need grit when feeding them anything besides their grower. We use garden dirt and put a dish of that in there.

Are you where the weather is warm? You could try get them outside for a little while too.

and which "grower crumbles"?

 

[ShrekDawg]

Why do my hatchery tells me not to expose them to dirt til 7 weeks or so? Even the dirt that they are going to be in when they move into the coop. I am CONFLICTED.

I gave mine dirt much younger than that. They need to get exposed to it

 

[Debbie292d]

A

and which "grower crumbles"?

Aren't you feeding them chick crumbles? They're called chick crumbles, chick starter/grower crumbles. Sorry, I should stick to just calling them chick crumbles lol.

 

[Debbie292d]

Why do my hatchery tells me not to expose them to dirt til 7 weeks or so? Even the dirt that they are going to be in when they move into the coop. I am CONFLICTED.

A momma hen exposes them to dirt on their first day.

We aren't a momma hen, so we do the best we can. They should stay solely on their chick crumbles for the first few weeks so they get the nourishment they need to grow strong and healthy. When you do start giving them something else, just don't let them gorge on it and you need to give them some dirt/grit to go with it. Some folks just sprinkle some grit/dirt in their crumbles. I put it in a shallow box in the corner so they dust bathe in it and pick around in it.

 

[Perris]

Can I give these to my 9 day old chicks? If yes, do they need the chick grit with it?

Just wanna get them occupied/entertain. They have started to "dig" in their brooder like they're looking for something.

Yes you can, but a sod of earth from your land, with greenstuff growing on the top and living things in the soil beneath would be better. They will nibble and sample all sorts while they explore the world, and this little exposure to whatever bugs live on and in your land will inoculate them. It will also probably contain grit of an appropriate size that they will instinctively know to eat if they need it. The fibre in the greenery will also help their digestive tract develop into a better condition than it will on ultra processed food.

 

[ArraAchicksMama]

Yes you can, but a sod of earth from your land, with greenstuff growing on the top and living things in the soil beneath would be better. They will nibble and sample all sorts while they explore the world, and this little exposure to whatever bugs live on and in your land will inoculate them. It will also probably contain grit of an appropriate size that they will instinctively know to eat if they need it. The fibre in the greenery will also help their digestive tract develop into a better condition than it will on ultra processed food.

Why would my hatchery tell me not to til 7 weeks... they said bc their immune system is still weak

 

[Perris]

"Most backyard chickens are not vaccinated. In this case, the disease can be managed by modulating the level of exposure to the parasite. Fortunately, a reduction in parasite load is normally all it takes to control coccidia in your birds. The ingestion of a few parasites is not a problem and actually helps birds to develop strong immunity against the parasite. The key is to prevent birds from consuming a large number of parasites at once, because this will result in disease."
There is more on the webpage this came from https://extension.psu.edu/managing-chicken-coccidiosis-in-small-flocks-during-summer