My daughter loves feeding our chickens mealworms. When we decided to raise new baby chicks, feeding them dried mealworms was one of the first things she wanted to do.
I had always waited about 8 weeks to feed my baby chicks mealworms or other treats. I wanted to find out how old a baby chick needs to be before munching on the tasty protein-rich treat and other nutritional information.
I did some research and this is what I found on the subject.
Can Baby chicks eat mealworms? Baby chicks can eat mealworms once they are 2 weeks old and have been given chick grit. Dried mealworms have a protein content of 50% giving them solid nutritional value for a baby chicks diet. Mealworms are a treat for baby chicks and not a substitute for starter crumbles.
Let’s go over what you need to do if you wish you feed your baby chicks mealworms at an early age.
Baby Chicken Digestive System Explained
When a baby chick eats food it immediately stored its crop. This is a small pocket of space that is part of their digestive system.
The food then slowly moves from their crop to their stomach (gizzard). A gizzard is a part of the chick’s stomach used to grind food.
In nature baby chicks naturally, eat and accumulate small particles of rock in their gizzard as they peck for food with their mothers outdoors. These rock particles are used to grind down the food for digestion.
These small particles of rock act as teeth for chickens. When you raise baby chicks by hand without a hen they don’t have access to these small particles of rock right away.
Without this natural grit, you will need to purchase chick grit from a store. This is because baby chicks require time to accumulate grit in their gizzard.
You can give your baby chicks access to chick grit from the time they hatch to about 8 weeks of age. This grit is much finer than normal grit.
Give your chicks access to chick grit immediately. By doing this they should build up enough rock particles in their gizzard in two weeks time. This should ensure their ability to process the hard exoskeleton of a dried mealworm.
If you’re worried they will not be able to digest the mealworms. Then just wait a few more weeks before feeding them mealworms or any other treats.
Here is a cut video of baby chicks eating mealworms.
How Old Must Baby Chicks Be To Eat Mealworms?
There is some debate on this and no definitive scientific answer. Some chicken keepers say you can feed mealworms to your chicks as soon as they reach one-week-old. Others say to wait for at least 2 weeks. I fall into the 2-week or later camp (better to be safe than sorry).
Wait until the baby chicks reach at least 2 weeks of age that should give them time to accumulate grit in their gizzards. This is assuming you have been providing them chick grit for two weeks.
The chick grit will allow their stomachs to better process the crunchy dried mealworms.
Frankly, the small chicks may not be interested in the mealworms when they are that young. I personally usually wait for at least 8 weeks before feeding them mealworms. I mean there is no need to rush it.
If you don’t feed them any treats or mealworms you don’t’ have to offer them grit for their first 8 weeks of life. This is because they don’t need the grit to eat starter crumbles.
Once your baby chicks reach 8 weeks of age you need to give them access to grit whether you offer them treats or not.
Dried Mealworm Nutrition Facts
Mealworms are an excellent source of protein. There are different types of mealworms and the exact nutritional content will depend on whom you purchase them from.
Dried mealworms contain 50% protein, 38% fat, 4 % ash, 8% carbohydrates.
How Much Protein Do Mealworms Have?
Dried mealworms contain 50% protein content. There at 436 calories per 100g of mealworms.
What Vitamins are in MealWorms?
Mealworms contain quantities of vitamin C, vitamin E, niacin, and folic acid. Dried mealworms also contain the following minerals: Potassium, iron, zinc, selenium, copper, and sodium.
How Many Mealworms Can Baby Chicks Eat?
Mealworms should be fed in small amounts. Feeding your baby chickens just a couple of mealworms at a time is enough to boost their protein intake.
Remember mealworms are a treat and not a substitute for starter chick feed.
What Other Treats Can You Give Baby Chicks?
- Fruits such as grapes, watermelon, and strawberries
- Sprouts
- Lettuce
- Waxworms
- Scrambled Eggs (my baby chicks loved this)
- Broccoli
What you should not feed baby chicks?
- Oystershell
- Long grass clippings
- Dried beans
- Chocolate
Check out this article for a full list of what can chickens not eat
Conclusion
It’s clear baby chicks can eat mealworms. At what age? That is up for you to decide. Provided you have given your chicks grit for at least 2 weeks they should be ok to eat mealworms.
Raising baby chicks is a fun and rewarding experience except for the stinky parts. When in doubt use caution and establish a conservative approach. Enjoy your new babies.