With many getting baby chicks this time of year I thought I would share a few tips I have learned through the years. ( This applies to all chicks turkey, guinea, chicken etc) We owned a game bird farm for many years and just wisdom picked up along the way.
- If you can find it try feeding your chicks game bird or turkey starter that first week or two. Higher protein and will get those birds off to a good start. If the crumble/starter is not fine enough (pieces too big) run a little through a blender.
- Boil a couple eggs. Take half a boiled egg and take a fork and mash it up. Put it in a shallow dish such as butter bowl lid. Take a shiny dime or two and throw in there on top. The dime will attract the birds attention and encourage them to peck at the egg. The extra protein especially from the egg yolk again gets those babies off to a good start.
- For the first week we put regular glass marbles in the bottom of the water dish. This prevents the birds from drowning in the water. Especially if there are a lot of birds they will stomp one another into the water. After about a week take the marbles out and bleach them to clean and store for next time. (This works great for tiny birds like quail)
- Never use newspaper in the bottom of your chick cage. It gets slick and will give them spraddle leg (deformed legs from not being able to stand on slick surfaces) Our absolute favorite cage material is a white plastic mesh material that comes in rolls you can buy in the kitchen supply department made to go into the bottom of kitchen cabinets and drawers. It is a rubber mesh that is not slick for the birds and can be taken out daily hosed off, disinfected and put back into the cage. It can also be put on top of pine shavings so that they are not such a mess and go everywhere and into feeders and waterers. It can be cut to size with scissors and last many years.
