cut or not to cut the worms?

[Natalijaasbj]

My chicks are around 10 days old. I would like to dig some earthworms from my garden and give them to boost protein. Do you cut your worms? I DO NOT WANT THEM TO CHOKE!
thanks in advance!

 

[WildBilly]

chicks, probably i would cut the worms, but you probably shouldn't feed chicks worms........i'd wait until they are atleast 4 months before feeding the birds anything other than chicken food. i think the chick starter is the safest way to go. without any treats. they should be their chick feed and fresh cold water. then, againi've only raised one flock so far in my life and they are afew weeks over 6 months. (i got them on October 3rd, 2012 and they were day olds.) i never tried the worms because of the time of year and i had a lack of experience with chickens. YES I WOULD DEFINATELY CUT THE WORMS INTO LITTLE PEICES JUST TO BE SURE....although if its raining its a good day to find worms, with the moist dirt. GRIT MAY BE OKAY WITH THE WORMS - IN MY OPINION.

 

[wayne hulgan]

My chicks are around 10 days old. I would like to dig some earthworms from my garden and give them to boost protein. Do you cut your worms? I DO NOT WANT THEM TO CHOKE!
thanks in advance!

we feed ours meal worms from day one. the trick, you have to supply them with grit. We get sand from the creek. I put it in a foil baking pan and just let them have at it. If you are thinking of giving them foot long earth worms, then you may want to cut them up into smaller bites. If you are giving them red worms 2 or 3 inches long just let them have them and sit back and watch, but make sure you supply grit. Dirt from your garden or yard will work, we use creek sand because it has all different size sand particals.

 

[Michael Apple]

My chicks are around 10 days old. I would like to dig some earthworms from my garden and give them to boost protein. Do you cut your worms? I DO NOT WANT THEM TO CHOKE!
thanks in advance!

To give them earthworms at such a young age is asking for problems such as intestinal parasites. Once they are out on range, they will eat what they choose. If you are giving a high quality starter/grower that is all they need as a protein source for now.

 

[OlivesMama]

I have given my chicks cut up earthworms a few times. I look at it this way- if they didn't have us to care for them, they'd be outside pecking and scratching and eat whatever bugs, worms, and plants they could forage. As soon as your chicks go outside, they could get worms anyway. Just my opinion...

 

[debid]

Not on my cutting board! If they scratch up a worm and can either swallow the thing whole or fight over it until it's torn to bits, more power to them. But no way I'm digging and dicing for them. FWIW, my chicks have had supervised range time since they were a week old and are in an outdoor brooder where they can get flying insects and spiders that happen by. I'm hardly a sanitizer and bubble-wrap type. But why go looking for foods they aren't ready to eat independently?

 

[Natalijaasbj]

thank you all!
Debid you made me smile - and the idea of "disecting" the poor worm on my cutting board completely turned me off this idea of mine. these are my first chicks - they all are purebred heritage - and I am not up to "experimenting" with worms - noT now anyways

I will wait a bit. I am sure Debid I will be like you when I reach your level ("True BYC addict") - I will just let them from the day 1 on pastures with their "mommy" - this is my goal and vision..... but not JUST YET

 

[MontanaDolphin]

Everyone here has their own opinions...if you haven't figured that out already! I have only been on this forum for a few months, and have discovered that it's pretty much what may work for some does not work for others, and vice versa. That being said, here's my thoughts on the subject!

I have been giving mine worms since they were 3 days old...along with mealworms, rolly pollies, grubs, crickets, grasshoppers, and any other bug I could find...served with sand as grit! I have only had to cut up one of those bugs...and it was a really fat grub. The worms kinda get "cut up" by the chicks...the "grab and chase" game that all chicks play...one has the worm and starts peeping really loud (which, in my opinion, if that chick would just shut up, none of the other chicks would even know it had a treat)...chick with worm is being chased and another chick will grab the worm and break a piece off...eventually the worm is small and original chick with worm doesn't have much of a treat left! I have never cut up the worms, and some of my chicks have swallowed the whole thing.

The day before yesterday, one of these same chicks...now 6 weeks old...ate a snake. I had them outside in their movable run and a worm snake must have slithered into the area...and one of my cockerels got it...and swallowed the snake whole, after flipping his beak in such a way to slam the snake's head on the ground a couple of times to stun/kill it. Then he just gobbled the whole thing. It was about 6-8 inches long!

If the chicks were with mama hen, they would be eating all sorts of stuff. Yes, the chick start is nutritious enough for them and is all they need. And yes, you do risk parasites from feeding worms. But I do it anyway...it's what they would be doing with mama hen. I haven't ever cut up a worm for them, I just dropped it in the brooder or hand fed them the worms...and they took care of the rest!