How old do chicks have to be to give them cracked corn?

How old do chicks have to be before you can give them cracked corn?

~:> Glenda

We have given some to the momma hen and the babies will peck at it too, but we also give them chick starter. I think you can give it to them fairly early as long as it is chopped small. But keep in mind chicks need more protien so I'd also be giving them ctick starter or finisher/grower till they are a few months old.

mine are over 2 mo old and they love the scratch..i get the scratch with the grains in it, and it is a nice treat for them..they get their regular food too..i wouldnt replace their starter with the scratch, but it is a nice treat..and the older girls love it too..

cindy

My chicks are on starter 24/7. I was just thinking of it as a "treat" now and then, and didn't want to give it to them if they were too young to digest it, would choke on it, etc. They're almost 2 weeks old. :)

I toss in treats to my B.O. and instead of eating them herself, she calls over her babies. This started when they were two/three weeks old-cole slaw, tomato(cut in half), apple sauce, ect. They have chick starter available all the time but they are out running in the pen eating grass as well.

Mommas know best Sandy. We had one that took a huge bug away from her babies and wouldn't let them have it. Maybe it was a bad bug for them or something or she didn't like the size of it but they wanted it and she refused to let them have it. It was too funny.

I can just see them jumping up and down trying to get it from her! lol!

Sometimes for a quickie treat, I will run some scratch through the coffee grinder for my babiez. Just to give them something from my hand..

I like to watch them when I give them alfalfa sprouts.. LOL They are scared of them at first..

Just remember scratch has no nutrition what so ever it's just like us eating a candy bar so feed it sparingly :o)

My broodies encourage their chicks to eat scratch--and they do the bits they can actually consume. But these are free range so I assume the chicks are also picking up enought bits of grit to allow them to digest it.

I always give my older brooder chicks grit before I start giving them anything harder than starter.

Seems to work.

Maybe I'll just wait until they're old enough to go into the coop. ....Just to be on the safe side.

No worries about grit Catscan, when it comes out it's nearly powder. It's the good stuff you told me about with all the grains in it.. only 8.5% protein, but still has nutrients like Methionine, lysine and calcium. Yes, as an occasional treat, I give it to all my babiez. I should have made that clear, as to not confuse anyone.

Oh, I KNOW you know what you are doing, ZZ!:0)

Even when we have chicks hatched at the same time from the same source yours are always bigger and more advanced than mine. I am a strict stick to the starter girl--more out of fear than anything else. But the supplements and treats you give your chicks are real boosters.

And it is amazing that two such different feeds can both be called "scratch". The one from the feed store is just cracked corn--but the good stuff from the other store is a complex mix of grains and corn. You really have to check the labels.

Hi Harmony!! I like your town!!

Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha !!!! Hey Sandy did you ever get some Cayuga's i have 4 a drake and 3 hens and I love them!!!

Yes I did! Iwas just mentioning them on another thread! I ended up getting 2 hens and a drake. They are just getting their green sheen, so pretty. I have the Cayugas, 3 pekin hens, 1 pekin drake, and a pair of Tufted Roman Geese(beautiful blue eyes). The geese round everyone up for me when it's time to get put in for the night. As soon as they see me coming in the evening, they spread their wings out and chase everyone in. It's too funny to watch!

Thank you Catscan...

So It would be my guess that the answer to the question above is.. oh around 2 or 3 weeks if you can let them outside..

Ha~Ha~Ha~Ha~Ha! Sorry didn't mean to get off topic ........Sandy i answered you on the duckling thread ;o)