2 weeks old chicks eat sand like food

[ivy_huan]

anyone else's chicks eating sand that supposed for dust bathe like most delicious treats ?

i have 14 2 weeks old chicks. every now and then i add some sand in their brooder, the chicks all huddle around and eat the sand like no tomorrow

its the sand from outside so there are worms in there, but will they eventually figure out how to bathe in it ?

 

[sourland]

Are you providing grit?

 

[Ridgerunner]

Chicks can't read. They especially can't read your mind. They have no idea why you are giving them the sand. Obviously they are enjoying it.

There are a lot of photos of brooders on this forum. It is extremely rare to see any area in those brooders for dust bathing. They don't need anything to dust bathe in. If they want to take a dust bathe, they'll use whatever bedding you have in the brooder. They'll be fine without a designated dust bath area.

If a place is available, one of the first things a broody hen does when she brings her chicks off of the nest is take them to a place where they can peck the ground. Pecking like that is an instinctive behavior. They find bits or rock that they can use as grit in their gizzard. Sand works for that. They get probiotics from the other chickens by pecking the ground where the other chickens have been. If I remember right you don't have older chickens so you won't get that benefit but it is still possible your soil has microbes that the chicks can use to strengthen their immune system and maybe start working on building flock immunities. All that depends on what is actually in that sand.

I really like the idea that you are feeding them that sand from outside, I think it helps give you stronger and healthier chickens. Just don't give them a lot, they still need to mostly eat their feed, not fill up on sand.

 

[ivy_huan]

Chicks can't read. They especially can't read your mind. They have no idea why you are giving them the sand. Obviously they are enjoying it.

There are a lot of photos of brooders on this forum. It is extremely rare to see any area in those brooders for dust bathing. They don't need anything to dust bathe in. If they want to take a dust bathe, they'll use whatever bedding you have in the brooder. They'll be fine without a designated dust bath area.

If a place is available, one of the first things a broody hen does when she brings her chicks off of the nest is take them to a place where they can peck the ground. Pecking like that is an instinctive behavior. They find bits or rock that they can use as grit in their gizzard. Sand works for that. They get probiotics from the other chickens by pecking the ground where the other chickens have been. If I remember right you don't have older chickens so you won't get that benefit but it is still possible your soil has microbes that the chicks can use to strengthen their immune system and maybe start working on building flock immunities. All that depends on what is actually in that sand.

I really like the idea that you are feeding them that sand from outside, I think it helps give you stronger and healthier chickens. Just don't give them a lot, they still need to mostly eat their feed, not fill up on sand.

thank you for your reply
i started giving them the sand because i saw couple of them rolling in the pine shavings after i took them in from outside ( i took them outside in a closed pen on nice days) so i thought they are starting to learning about dust bath. at first i used sand, and i know there are tiny worms in there. they went crazy all pecking at the tray then i tried regular garden dirt with ash from our woodstove they still did the same then i went back to the regular sand again.

i gave them chick food and some treats like scramble eggs that my kids leftover from breakfast, lol they run around for it, so cute.

when they are older i am planning on free ranging them, their coop is on the opposite side of the garden so hopefully they wont find my garden

 

[ivy_huan]

Are you providing grit?

they go outside sometimes on nice day. i let them pick up grit then

 

[KappyFlock]

Chicks can't read. They especially can't read your mind. They have no idea why you are giving them the sand. Obviously they are enjoying it.

There are a lot of photos of brooders on this forum. It is extremely rare to see any area in those brooders for dust bathing. They don't need anything to dust bathe in. If they want to take a dust bathe, they'll use whatever bedding you have in the brooder. They'll be fine without a designated dust bath area.

If a place is available, one of the first things a broody hen does when she brings her chicks off of the nest is take them to a place where they can peck the ground. Pecking like that is an instinctive behavior. They find bits or rock that they can use as grit in their gizzard. Sand works for that. They get probiotics from the other chickens by pecking the ground where the other chickens have been. If I remember right you don't have older chickens so you won't get that benefit but it is still possible your soil has microbes that the chicks can use to strengthen their immune system and maybe start working on building flock immunities. All that depends on what is actually in that sand.

I really like the idea that you are feeding them that sand from outside, I think it helps give you stronger and healthier chickens. Just don't give them a lot, they still need to mostly eat their feed, not fill up on sand.

My two-weekish old chicks are starting to attempt dust bathing in the brooder. I'm using the coop as a brooder and the vinyl floor is covered with pine shavings. As you say, lots and lots of pictures of brooders on this site don't have dust baths. That's why it hadn't occurred to me. Are my chicks ok without a "real" dust bath until they get outside? Or should I put a tray of dirt from the yard in the brooder?

I'm still trying to figure out when to let them outside too. It won't be for another week, at least, because we have to enclose the run first. I haven't "learned" that far ahead, so I'm on here reading about that too.

 

[Ridgerunner]

They will be OK without a dust bath in the brooder/coop. Doing without won't hurt them.

I'm still trying to figure out when to let them outside too.

That's outside in the run. Some of that depends on your weather, temperature and is it raining? In SE Michigan your weather should be warm enough for three-week-olds for sure. Two week olds probably. I'd feel more comfortable if your coop were ground level, ramps might be a little harder to negotiate than a ground level entrance. My broody hens typically have two or three day old chicks climbing steps to get in or out but you aren't a broody hen. They come when a broody hen calls, not when I call them.

They'll probably be OK in the run at three weeks but I'd do it at a time I could observe.

 

[KappyFlock]

They will be OK without a dust bath in the brooder/coop. Doing without won't hurt them.


That's outside in the run. Some of that depends on your weather, temperature and is it raining? In SE Michigan your weather should be warm enough for three-week-olds for sure. Two week olds probably. I'd feel more comfortable if your coop were ground level, ramps might be a little harder to negotiate than a ground level entrance. My broody hens typically have two or three day old chicks climbing steps to get in or out but you aren't a broody hen. They come when a broody hen calls, not when I call them.

They'll probably be OK in the run at three weeks but I'd do it at a time I could observe.

Ok, thank you for the dust bath info. I didn't know if it was a necessity and it sounds as if it's up to me. I think we'll continue to go without.

The coop is elevated, and we haven't even built the ramp yet. I guess I was picturing us manually moving them down to the run to start with, for a supervised field trip. Then we'd move them back up when they're finished. I don't know how we decide when they're finished. haha Does that sound ok?

These days the weather has been warm and sunny, 75-80ish, and they are spending very little time under the brooder plate. If we get the run finished while the weather is still like this, it will be great!