Picky eater chick Doesn't want to eat chick feed. What to do?

[mahampire]

She is 3-4 weeks old and she used to love eating a lot chick starter but since i brought this new bag of chick starter (the other one finished) she doesn’t seem to like it one bit.

She peaks at it but doesn’t eat much or show interest at all.
I can tell she is Hungry but Won't eat the feed. She likes wet chick feed so i wet this one too but still no use.

She eats other stuff like Boiled mashed egg yolk, leafs ( grass, chilli plant leaves), chopped cabbage, ants. But i seriously Don't want her to get ill from nutrition deficiency.

Now what do i do she doesn’t eat chick feed sits there hungry being stubborn. (She seems Healthy and happy playful though)

 

[SarahGfa]

do you have other chicks? are the other ones eating the chick feed?

 

[mahampire]

do you have other chicks? are the other ones eating the chick feed?

No she is alone. She had a friend but i think he was sick and weak from the start so he died a few days ago.

 

[SarahGfa]

chicks will copy other chicks. tap the food with your finger and tape a small mirror next to the food so she feels like another chick is eating with her.

it is sad to keep a chick alone.

 

[mahampire]

chicks will copy other chicks. tap the food with your finger and tape a small mirror next to the food so she feels like another chick is eating with her.

it is sad to keep a chick alone.

Is that why she Isn't eating? (Cause she is eating smashed eggs etc) Should i get a few more baby chicks? But they will be half her size (my chicks have bad history of fighting with each other when they grow up)

 

[SarahGfa]

Is that why she Isn't eating? (Cause she is eating smashed eggs etc) Should i get a few more baby chicks? But they will be half her size (my chicks have bad history of fighting with each other when they grow up)

get a few more. separate them with a wire fence so they can see each other but not fight, for the first few days.

 

[mahampire]

get a few more. separate them with a wire fence so they can see each other but not fight, for the first few days.

Ok I'll try that thanks

 

[Perris]

Now what do i do she doesn’t eat chick feed sits there hungry being stubborn. (She seems Healthy and happy playful though)

This suggests to me that she detects there is something wrong with the feed. Keep feeding her whatever she will eat for now.

But i seriously Don't want her to get ill from nutrition deficiency.

It usually takes a long time for deficiencies to make chicks ill. They do not need every nutrient every day or even every week (except air and water, obviously).

I have raised chickens without any commercial feed / premix / supplement / vitamin booster etc. since 2018, including the chicks from 2022 onwards, and they can get everything they need from real food. Offer her a choice of fresh foods from your kitchen and let her forage in your garden, and observe what she chooses to eat. That's what she thinks she needs right now.

 

[mahampire]

This suggests to me that she detects there is something wrong with the feed. Keep feeding her whatever she will eat for now.

It usually takes a long time for deficiencies to make chicks ill. They do not need every nutrient every day or even every week (except air and water, obviously).

I have raised chickens without any commercial feed / premix / supplement / vitamin booster etc. since 2018, including the chicks from 2022 onwards, and they can get everything they need from real food. Offer her a choice of fresh foods from your kitchen and let her forage in your garden, and observe what she chooses to eat. That's what she thinks she needs right now.

Thanks a lot. I always raised chicks with commercial chick feed (when they grow enough old then i only gave food we humans eat)
Also everyone else suggested giving chick feed etc.

I Don't know why she keeps eating ants wherever she can find them. (Black small harmless ants)
Also she keeps peaking at weird insects and i Don't even know some insects might me dangerous so i only let her eat ants. Also scrambled eggs is her favourite.

She seems healthy to me though but I'm scared if this behaviour keeps going she might get nutrition deficiency. Also she is Cornish Cross so another huge risk.

 

[Perris]

I Don't know why she keeps eating ants wherever she can find them. (Black small harmless ants)

Ants can be very nutritious - around 40% protein in some species. My flock consume ants too; we used to have meadow ants in the lawn, but there are hardly any to be found now (because they've been overconsumed over the years). My flock are particularly fond of flying ants, which I think must be especially nutritious, though they dissect off the wings before swallowing.

Also she keeps peaking at weird insects and i Don't even know some insects might me dangerous so i only let her eat ants

Let your chickens decide what's dangerous to them and what's not; that is what the sample pecking they do is all about. Trust their instincts. They know better than we do what is good food for them and what is not.

Also scrambled eggs is her favourite.

She knows that eggs in any form are good food for chicks and chickens.

I'm scared if this behaviour keeps going she might get nutrition deficiency

Are you also scared that your behaviour (stopping her eating the insects she wants to) might be depriving her of valuable nutrients?