Someone dropped off baby chickens at my door last night? What can I feed them until I get some chick feed?
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Question by jess l: Someone dropped off baby chickens at my door last night? What can I feed them until I get some chick feed?
Someone who abviosly knows I have chickens and enjoy taking care of them dropped off their unwatned chicks here last night. I have them safe and sound in a pen, but they’re hungry! They are about half grown and have their feathers and color, but still cherp like babies. Would it be ok to give them some cooked rice today just until I get into town tomorrow to get some feed for them? My full grown chickens are out of feed, but are grazing in the field and doing just fine. The chicks, on the other hand, are pretty hungry! Would rice be ok for them just for today?
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5 Responses to Someone dropped off baby chickens at my door last night? What can I feed them until I get some chick feed?
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Chicks love white bread!!! I grew up with chickens–they love that stuff!! If you don’t have any bread try fruit. They love watermelon. But don’t give crackers–they are too salty. They can choke on the rice. It well swell in there stomaches and that could cause them to die.
Raven
June 10, 2013 at 7:31 am
Ya, that will be fine, they’ll eat grass, too.
Get some ‘scratch’.
Cheech
June 10, 2013 at 8:21 am
You can also feed them corn meal. My daddy raises chickens from incubation and that is what he uses for them, he has very healthy chickens
Linda L
June 10, 2013 at 8:52 am
canned corn, dandelion greens, lots of vegetables, tomatoes, dog food,(not cat food, dog food has more corn meal) if they are still yellow, they are “peepers” they will go after most insects and worms, if they are real small they are either “pullets” of they could be full grown “bantams” which would be laying small brown (and great tasting) eggs. you will need to also provide oyster shell calcium for egg shell development and to help them digest food your local farm and tractor store will either have what you need, or know where the closest place to get it is, as far as the calcium goes, its not pills like for us, it’s just ground up oyster shell, very course. Cooked rice will be just fine, the “exploding birds” are a MYTH as are the “alka seltzers exploding seagull and pigeon stories” urban legend, might not want to give them mento’s and coke though.
TRboi
June 10, 2013 at 9:06 am
Chickens will eat just about anything.
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June 10, 2013 at 9:24 am