What can I use to feed our chicks? I am almost out of starter feed and the feed store will not be opened until Monday? What can I feed them if I run out? Thanks!!!! Lisa B.

-- Lisa B. (j5diecast@aol.com), October 13, 2001

Answers

mix oatmeal with milk, or hardboil an egg and chop it up.

they will love it!

-- (hooperterri@prodigy.net), October 13, 2001.

Make a pan of plain cornbread. Crumble it into big chunks.

-- Leo (wintersongfarm@yahoo.com), October 13, 2001.

As above, rolled oats is ideal, or any breakfast cereal will do. If it's somewhat powdery (like semolina or polenta or instant oatmeal) then stir just enough water through it to hold it together. If your breakfast cereal is in big lumps (say cornflakes), break it down to smaller pieces with a rolling pin or a bottle. Try not to use high- sugar ones like Sugar Frosties or Frute Loops (good for neither man nor beast), although if that's all you have then it's better than doing without. Dry muesli could do as well, but whatever try not to have things that are too big in it (such as sultanas if your chicks are small).

If you do a cooked breakfast cereal yourself (porridge or semolina or polenta) then leftovers would do fine, possibly as above with a boiled egg or a sardine mashed through whatever. Also any leftover cooked fish or minced (ground in your case?) meat. Mashed leftover vegetables. Heck, when you get down to it, anything edible, put through a blender, would do.

-- Don Armstrong (darmst@yahoo.com.au), October 13, 2001.

I have used alot of the above things...also whole wheat toast (or I guess any type would do in a pinch) dried out in the oven awhile and rolled into crumbs with a rolling pin ( I do it inside a baggie) They especially seem to love the crumbled boiled egg.

-- Jenny (auntjenny6@aol.com), October 13, 2001.

You don't say whether you have grown chickens or not. ie. Did you hatch these under a mama or are they store bought? When we have a hen hatch a few, I merely take some lay pellets and run them through my coffee grinder. Works fine, and actually cleans the coffee grinder a bit. I don't believe there is much coffee that gets in the feed, as I haven't had any chicks crazed by caffeine! GL!

-- Brad (homefixer@SacoRiver.net), October 15, 2001.