The Best Foods to Feed Chicks

Raising a few chickens is a good way to get fresh eggs every morning, but owners should keep in mind that chickens require care just like any other animal. Baby chicks especially need their owner to nurture them, and this includes choosing the right kind of food to provide for feed.

  1. Mashed/Crumbled Chick Feed

    • Buy some powdery mash feed, which chicks can easily digest, or get some crumbles for chicks at your local feed store if you find the chicks are wasting the mash. Buy pellets, which are made of compressed mash, for older chicks. You won't need to buy grit for digestion if your birds are on this diet.

    Grains with Grit

    • Feed the chicks plenty of grains mixed with grit to help them digest their food. It's best to use whole, living grains rather than cracked. Try to give them a mixture of several varieties of grains rather than just a pure corn diet to make sure they get all the nutrients they need. Your local feed store can help you find the best grains for your chicks. Buy the chick-sized granite grit from your feed store and mix it in with the feed.

    Medicated Feed

    • To prevent the chicks from contracting the parasitic disease coccidiosis, which can kill chicks that don't yet have a resistance, choose feed that is medicated with Amprolium. Amprolium controls coccidiosis and helps the chicks develop a resistance to the disease. Don't bother spending money on feed with antibiotics in it, as this is unnecessary.

    Foods Around the House

    • You can use foods around the house for chick feed if need be. For example, while it may seem strange, you can serve the chicks mashed, hard-boiled eggs as a starter feed. Or, you can grind up some breakfast cereal and let them eat that. However, avoid sweetened cereals or those with chocolate; too much sugar can be fattening, and chocolate can be toxic.