ALL PURPOSE SAND for 4 week old chickens........ FALLING OVER AND LAYING ON THEIR SIDE!

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Hmmm.... Do they typically lay for a long time on their sides with a dust bath? Maybe this is normal for chicks.
 
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I have 16 chicks, so some of them did lay on their sides some of them would lay normally. All and all, they laid around half of the time. And they still do it if they're not playing around on their roosts or exploring the run. I guess they just like the feel of the sand in this Florida heat. Do you have pictures of them laying around like that? I guess I don't really pay that much attention to the way mine lay around, I just figured it was normal lol.
 
I took some chicks off of shavings and put them on sand late last winter. I gave them a full feeder and a full waterer and left for a couple days. When I got back, they still had food and water but half were dead. They appeared to have consumed too much of the sand.
 
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24 hour update: thank you to everyone who gave helpful input. Much appreciated.

The chicks recovered in their old brooder box overnight. In the morning I tried again when they seemed fresh. It worked! The only change I made to the new box was adding a large piece of cardboard over half the sand to hopefully help them assimilate. I also made sure they all saw and ate their feed so as not to gorge on sand. This time they explored the sand and new box but their was no apparent stress (falling over, not moving) etc...... Maybe timing played into it. Not sure. But they did great all day!
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Oh I wanted to make sure I explained I only switched to coyote creek organic starter feed about a week ago in an attempt to try to save the remaining chicks. It in no way was a reason for the high death toll.
 
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Chicken canoe. Thank you for your post also. I watched them a good part of the morning and then checked in them frequently as a precaution after reading your experience.
 
That's great news! They're absolutely adorable by the way. Excuse my goofy looking chicken coop, but this was my girl's first day enjoying their coop as 4-5 week olds. Maybe wait another week or so?
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Jacksoneagle said:
24 hour update: thank you to everyone who gave helpful input. Much appreciated.
...Maybe timing played into it. Not sure. ...
Click to expand...

I think you're right.

Jacksoneagle said:
Chicken canoe. Thank you for your post also. I watched them a good part of the morning and then checked in them frequently as a precaution after reading your experience.
Click to expand...
You're welcome. I was shocked. I felt really bad cause they were such nice quality chicks. They actually weren't that young, about 2 or 3 weeks old.
 
JRabbit90,
What a cool coop! I love the green color and the natural wood. Your chicks at 4 weeks are beautiful.... very big and healthy looking. And it sounds like they have done well with the sand. That is great to know. Thank you for posting a picture.

I will say that the sand is much easier to clean. It is like scooping kitty litter. Definitely a bonus. Glad it worked for my chicks on the second try when they were fresh. I knew chicks would be fragile, but I had no idea the extent of it. Does make you enjoy them all the more though!
 

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