When/how to introduce outside dirt to 2wk chicks?

[tickens33]

I hope 2 posts in 1 day in the same place is okay. Just joined and I have questions I've been sitting on

We are currently raising 7 chicks in a brooder in our city apartment. They are 2 weeks old as of yesterday. When they are old enough, they will be moved to a coop onto a property that my partner recently inherited and we are turning into a hobby farm. The property is about 35-40 minutes outside the city.

My question is this-

Would it be beneficial for the chicks to introduce clumps of dirt from our backyard garden into the brooder? We garden in containers so the dirt it is a combination of store-bought potting mix + compost etc, and whatever seeds and other leaf litter has blown in there from the wind and decomposed over time.

Or would it be better for us to wait until we can retrieve dirt and plants from the property, since that is what they'll be exposed to?

I don't want to wait too long to start exposing them to stuff from outside so they have a chance to build their immunity. But if our garden dirt might be ineffective or detrimental then I would rather wait a few more days until we get the chance to visit the property.

Thanks in advance for any insight

 

[Starrponies]

I personally add a dirt/ construction sand mix after a few days of being born. So basically after I see them eating and drinking well. But that's just what I do not sure if it's percent right. But I've done it for years with lots of chicks.

 

[tickens33]

I personally add a dirt/ construction sand mix after a few days of being born. So basically after I see them eating and drinking well. But that's just what I do not sure if it's percent right. But I've done it for years with lots of chicks.

That makes sense! Do you think giving them soil and weeds pulled from our garden containers is a good idea? There's also a parkway across the street but that dirt is probably full of pesticides and covered in dog poop. Or we can just wait until the next chance we have to get out to our rural property and bring them dirt and vegetation from there. I just don't want to do anything that has the potential to harm them, so I'm hesitating to do anything at all..

 

[Perris]

Do you think giving them soil and weeds pulled from our garden containers is a good idea?

yes; I'd extract a clump, pop it in a ceramic container (a low sided dish, something suitable for the size of chicks and clump but heavy enough it won't flip over if they stand on one side of it), and pop that in the brooder. Then stand back and enjoy watching them explore it and prime their immune systems at the same time. Some dirt from their ultimate home can be added when convenient.

 

[tickens33]

yes; I'd extract a clump, pop it in a ceramic container (a low sided dish, something suitable for the size of chicks and clump but heavy enough it won't flip over if they stand on one side of it), and pop that in the brooder. Then stand back and enjoy watching them explore it and prime their immune systems at the same time. Some dirt from their ultimate home can be added when convenient.

This is probably what we will do today!

My main concern is the possibility that some of the weeds or leaf litter could be something that is toxic to them. I know that animals raised by their mothers in nature eat random vegetation all the time, but animals in nature die all the time too...do you think this concern is valid or is it unlikely that unidentified city plants would be a problem?

Then my other thought, not a concern exactly, is that because it's store-bought potting mix and compost that it wouldn't have the right kind of microbes in it to boost their immune systems. I mean, at this point these containers have overwintered twice and it's very much living soil, so this is probably not actually a factor, but just wondering if anyone has thoughts on this too! I guess it would be good for dust bathing regardless!

 

[Starrponies]

I personally would just only feed chick feed with no treats until you get to some natural soil. Preferably from where they will be kept at. Most potting soil has stuff added to it. I've never used it so wouldn't know if it's bad or not though. I just like natural

 

[tickens33]

I personally would just only feed chick feed with no treats until you get to some natural soil. Preferably from where they will be kept at. Most potting soil has stuff added to it. I've never used it so wouldn't know if it's bad or not though. I just like natural

Good thought on potential additives in the soil. We will have to double check that before adding anything to the brooder. Thanks for your perspective

 

[Perris]

My main concern is the possibility that some of the weeds or leaf litter could be something that is toxic to them. I know that animals raised by their mothers in nature eat random vegetation all the time, but animals in nature die all the time too...do you think this concern is valid or is it unlikely that unidentified city plants would be a problem?

you can trust their instincts. Typically if something is toxic to an animal it tastes very bad to that animal; toxins have evolved precisely to try to stop animals eating them. For a belt and braces approach, remove anything exotic; endemic weeds that have self seeded in the potting compost should be fine.

I mean, at this point these containers have overwintered twice and it's very much living soil, so this is probably not actually a factor,

exactly. Microbes will have arrived. I expect there's stuff big enough to see with the naked eye too. If the soil is alive, it is much less likely to contain anything nasty than is sterile soil that's been poisoned.

 

[rosemarythyme]

I would not use the potting soil, as they're generally mixed with fertilizers, perlite and other additives. Even if the soil is several years old, don't you fertilize your container garden at least once a year?

Since they're moving to a location 40 min away, that's really the soil you want to expose them to. But at 2 weeks (+ how many ever days it will be before you go to the farm to gather the soil) you might be up against/past the point of "early" exposure so it might be better to just proceed past this step entirely, and just have Corid on hand if coccidiosis becomes an issue later on.

 

[Chicken_tiger_catt]

I hope 2 posts in 1 day in the same place is okay. Just joined and I have questions I've been sitting on

We are currently raising 7 chicks in a brooder in our city apartment. They are 2 weeks old as of yesterday. When they are old enough, they will be moved to a coop onto a property that my partner recently inherited and we are turning into a hobby farm. The property is about 35-40 minutes outside the city.

My question is this-

Would it be beneficial for the chicks to introduce clumps of dirt from our backyard garden into the brooder? We garden in containers so the dirt it is a combination of store-bought potting mix + compost etc, and whatever seeds and other leaf litter has blown in there from the wind and decomposed over time.

Or would it be better for us to wait until we can retrieve dirt and plants from the property, since that is what they'll be exposed to?

I don't want to wait too long to start exposing them to stuff from outside so they have a chance to build their immunity. But if our garden dirt might be ineffective or detrimental then I would rather wait a few more days until we get the chance to visit the property.

Thanks in advance for any insight

When my chicks are between 3 and 4 weeks old, as long as the weather is good, I put them somewhere outside where they can’t run off/ get eaten, and that is how they are introduced to dirt.