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Homemade Emergency Chick Feed from Kitchen Staples🥚

If you have been following along, you already know I just hatched a healthy bunch of chicks. Fifteen out of twenty-four eggs made it, and they are thriving. They are about two weeks old now, and we are well past the yolk sac phase. But this morning, I hit a snag: I ran out of chick starter feed.

Living in a rural area, I cannot exactly dash out for feed at six a.m., so I had to improvise. Here is what I fed my baby chicks using pantry staples. Spoiler alert: they loved it.

Emergency Chick Feed Recipe for Baby Chicks 🐥

Ingredients:

• 1 dozen hard-boiled eggs (including shells)
• Generous shake of ground cinnamon
• A few pinches of red pepper flakes
• A generous pour of dry oats

Instructions:

1. Boil the eggs until solid, then peel and keep the shells. These are a great source of calcium.
2. Mash the entire egg, including the shell, with a potato masher until it no longer resembles an egg. The goal is zero recognition. No confusing breakfast for relatives.
3. Stir in cinnamon and red pepper flakes.
4. Add dry oatmeal to soak up moisture and provide texture.

This batch made enough for two full feedings for my brooder of hungry chicks.

Keep refrigerated between feedings and use within 24 hours to maintain freshness and prevent spoilage.

Use sparingly and not as a replacement for real chick feed (affiliate link).

Bonus: Adult Chickens Love It Too 🐔

I also give a version of this mash as an occasional treat to my adult chickens. I throw in leftover greens, cooked vegetables, and other healthy kitchen scraps to bulk it up. They go wild for it, and it is a great way to reduce waste while giving them something nutritious and fun to scratch through.

Red Pepper Flakes and Cinnamon? But, Can Chicks Eat Spices? 🌶️

Yes, chickens can eat spicy things, for a very surprising reason. Chickens do not have receptors for capsaicin, the spicy compound found in chili peppers. That means red pepper flakes will not bother them at all. In fact, hot peppers and cinnamon can help deter pests and may even support digestive health. Cinnamon is thought to offer mild immune support and reduce mold growth, making it a handy pantry addition.

Add Apple Cider Vinegar to Their Water 🍎

When using a homemade chick feed, it is helpful to add a splash of raw apple cider vinegar (about one tablespoon per quart of water) to their waterer. This may support gut health, boost immunity, and help keep the water clean. However, avoid using it daily. Three to four times a week is plenty.

Why This Works in a Pinch

⚠️ This is not a long-term feeding solution, but it checks the boxes when you are in a bind:

• Protein: Eggs provide high-quality protein that is essential for early chick development.
• Calcium: Crushed shells offer calcium to support bone strength. Be sure they are finely mashed to avoid egg-eating habits later on.
• Spices: Cinnamon and red pepper flakes are natural additives that may help control bacteria and parasites.
• Oats: Gentle on digestion and good for fiber.

How Long Is This Safe for Baby Chicks?

This homemade mix can sustain your chicks for up to one or two days. That should be enough time to pick up a proper chick starter feed. Return them to their regular balanced ration as soon as possible.

Rural Living Tip 🏔️

If you can, keep an extra bag of chick starter on hand. But if you run out, do not panic. A dozen eggs and a few pantry basics can help you bridge the gap. Just do not make it your go-to method.

Quick Note from the Coop 🐣

This mix worked well for my chicks, but every flock is different. If something does not sit right with your little fluffballs, please trust your gut and do what feels safest. This is just a stopgap meal shared from one chicken mama to another. This is not veterinary advice.

Did You Enjoy Learning What I Feed Baby Chicks in a Pinch?

Browse more tips, homestead resources, and beginner-friendly gear recommendations right here on the blog.

🐔 The Joy and Practicality of Raising Backyard Chickens

🐥 Where I Keep Baby Chicks

🐤 When to Move Chicks Outside

🪹 What I Did When My Hens Stopped Laying in the Coop

🐻 Keeping Bears Out of the Chicken Coop

📺 Follow PurlsAndPixels on YouTube for More of my Cozy Videos

🧺 Shop my Favorite Chicken Keeping Essentials on Amazon (affliate link)

Don’t Miss a Peep

Love cute and cozy things? Sign up for my newsletter to get more homesteading stories, ideas, and updates straight to your inbox. 💌

From Almost Tossed to Tiny Miracles: My First Hatch 🐣

This was not the plan.
It was not even a plan.

I had gone out of town for a few days to celebrate my son’s birthday. When we returned, the hens had been busy: there were eggs everywhere. Not a few… a lot. Some were tucked in corners. Some were still warm. Most were definitely not what you would call “clean.”

And I almost just tossed them all.

But something about that pile of potential made me pause.

On a whim, equal parts curiosity and defiance, I pulled out 24 of the best-looking eggs and my son and I set up the incubator. We didn’t share what we were doing. I was not sure it would work, and I did not want to get anyone’s hopes up or make them sad if nothing happened.

Backyard Chicken Breeds and the One Proud Rooster

These were not carefully collected hatching chicken eggs from a breeder. They came from my own eclectic backyard flock, which includes Ayam Cemani, Faverolles, Jersey Giant, Rhode Island Red, and a few mystery hens. The eggs were all completely unique. Some were big, some small, and a few were speckled. There was even one shaped like a football.

As for the father, that part was easy. My Jersey Giant rooster is the only guy on the scene: big, bold, and proud of it. He struts like a bodyguard and crows like he is announcing royalty. I am certain every single chick in that incubator is half giant, even if the mamas come from all corners of the feathered world.

I picked the eggs based on shell quality and vibes. That was it.

And then we waited.

A few days later, I candled the eggs for the first time and could hardly believe my eyes… all 24 showed signs of life! Each one was fertilized, and most of them were moving. It felt like the kind of beginner’s luck you shouldn’t question. I was stunned, thrilled, and just a little intimidated by the idea that I might actually be preparing for hatching the chicken eggs into two dozen chicks.

Day 18 Wiggles and a Tiny Powerhouse Chick 🐥

Most chicks hatch at day 21. But, around day 18, one little egg started rocking. Then came the peep. Then the pip.

The tiniest chicken egg in the bunch hatched first. And not just first: it popped out, fluffed up, and immediately started helping its sibling hatch. Like a tiny, damp nurse chick, it gave the other egg a few swift, determined kicks as if to say, “I am not going to be out here alone,” until chick number two emerged.

I thought I would be assisting these babies.

It turns out, they had each other’s backs.

Newborn Chick Rituals: Egg Cuddles 💛

One of the sweetest, most unexpected things I noticed?
As soon as they hatch, every chick picks an egg to cuddle and dry out on.
Not necessarily their own, just whichever shell they bonded with. It is like they choose a comforting pebble in the chaos, nuzzling into it and falling asleep, wet wings hugging their little egg buddy as if it had already hatched. I’m sure they can hear the faint peeping and movement inside the soon to hatch shells.

It is instinctive. It is soft. And it is one of the most beautiful and adorable things I have ever seen.

Seven Chicks, Plus a Coffee Break Surprise

By the time I went to bed, two chicks were dry and wreaking havoc in the incubator. I moved them to the brooder so they would not smother their unhatched siblings.

By morning?

Seven.

Seven real, squirmy, perfect little chicks. 🐣

Most of them are black: my baby ravens. I have always wanted to tame a raven, so seeing these tiny black fluffballs peep and wobble their way into the world felt like a dream come true. They might not caw or perch dramatically on my shoulder, but for now, they are my miniature, feathery versions, and I adore them.

One has a blonde streak on her belly and way too much personality already. Another hatched so loudly she scared me half to death, peeping like a car alarm the moment she broke free. Others were quiet, cuddly, and content to nap on top of unhatched eggs while whispering motivational fluff into the shells.

And then… coffee happened.

One hatched while I stepped away to make coffee. Surprise! I came back to find a new chick where there had been an egg just moments earlier. Now eight fluffballs sit where eggs once were. One tiny overachiever kicked off her eggshell while I was making coffee. ☕

What I Learned From My First Hatch

This hatch was not pristine. The eggs were not washed. The humidity dipped. At least one chick emerged to kicks in the face from it’s impatient sibling.

But it still worked.

It reminded me that sometimes, we do not need ideal conditions. We just need to believe in unlikely beginnings, even if it starts as a pile of forgotten eggs after a birthday weekend.

What is Next for My Backyard Chicks?

More eggs are still in the incubator. I do not know how many more will chicken eggs will be hatching, and I am okay with that. The eight already here are plenty to love.

They eat, sleep, peep, and flop under the brooder plate like tiny potatoes with opinions.
They cuddle unhatched eggs like baby blankets and peep at me like I owe them snacks.

If you have been sitting on an idea, a maybe, a what-if… try it.

You never know when a quiet egg will turn into the loudest little peep in the brooder.

Thinking about starting your own backyard flock or hatching eggs for the first time?

Browse my tips, homestead resources, and beginner-friendly gear recommendations right here on the blog.

🐔 The Joy and Practicality of Raising Backyard Chickens

🐥 Where I Keep Baby Chicks

🐤 When to Move Chicks Outside

🪹 What I Did When My Hens Stopped Laying in the Coop

🐻 Keeping Bears Out of the Chicken Coop

📺 Follow PurlsAndPixels on YouTube for More of my Cozy Videos

🧺 Shop my Favorite Chicken Keeping Essentials on Amazon (affliate link)

Don’t Miss a Peep

Love cute and cozy things? Sign up for my newsletter to get more homesteading stories, ideas, and updates straight to your inbox. 💌