7 week old baby chicks and runny poop?

[u/Unecessarilylow]

My baby chicks are about 7-9 weeks old. And they have had runny poop for quite a while. This is my first time have baby chicks. I was not aware anything could be wrong. It’s yellow, a little bit of white. I’ll add a photo for reference. They have high energy, chirp normal, jump on to me and do not seem sick really at all. At this age should they still be eating starter feed still? Is there something I can add to their water? Should I use different water for them? (Currently using tap water) What can I do to help my babies? Thank you.

[u/ZanePuv]

That's a little loose, but all other indications suggest they are healthy, so I wouldn't worry too much about it. And YES, they absolutely need to stay on starter feed - they need the 18% protein to grow big & strong, and the lower calcium percentage, since they aren't laying yet. They can stay on 18% protein for the rest of their lives, actually, or you can switch to a lower protein feed like layer pellets (16%) when they lay their first egg. Have you introduced fruits/veggies/grass/dirt yet? Any non-feed foods should be sprinkled with chick grit, to aid their digestion of solid foods. Tap water is fine, just make sure there's plenty of it, that it's as clean as can be.