Six week old chicks

[Hog]

Hi all ,our ten chicks are out in a pen made of wood battens and chicken wire in the garden . They go back in the hen house at night , I just wanted to know if I can give them anything else to eat aswell as chick crumbs and growers pellets to eat can I give them any green veg , thanks .

 

[dinosaw]

You are best sticking to growers and chick crumb until they get a bit older, but if you really want to give them greens then a very small amount will be ok as long as you are providing chick grit for them. What I do like to give mine is a small amount of natural yoghurt as it helps to protect against cocciodosis.

 

[chrismahon]

You can get chick grit either from a pet shop where it is sold for small birds, or by sieving the tiny bits out of poultry grit Hog.

We used to give all our chicks probiotic natural yoghurt on day two but have now switched to Avipro Avian. This ensures their gut flora are in perfect condition for maximum disease resistance and rapid growth.

 

[chickenfan]

Hi Chris, How do you use the Avipro Avian for chicks - what sort of dose and how often? It has Vitamin A, C and E as well as the probiotics.

I think little bits of finely chopped grass are good for chicks if there is no grass in their run. I did a course where we were told that if chicks have grass at an early age their digestion and gut flora develop better and they can always better digest grass.

 

[chrismahon]

Their first water was a maintenance mix Chickenfan, which is one spoon to 200mL of water and used up. That was based on ten chicks and wasn't repeated. They remain in perfect health a year on.

The chick crumb here also has probiotic in it. The French have moved away from drugs and rely on natural health, so no ACS in the feed. We avoided contact with the outside until they were 6 weeks old fearing Coccidiosis, but they were all fine. They do go crazy for grass and have no problem digesting it completely, but grit is essential.

 

[chickenfan]

Many thanks Chris.