I have 5 chicks of assorted breeds. One is sitting in the pine shavings and moves kinda to her side kicking out the shavings from beneath her .It almost looks like she's burrowing. I picked her up to see if there was any obvious problems and she did not jump up to get away. Just concerned she may not be feeling well. She's normally one of the more active chicks . I am only 2 weeks into my chick experience any advice is welcome .
She's taking a dust bath. Give your babies a plug of sod from an untreated lawn. Plop it upside down right in the shavings. They will first scream in terror at the invasion of the dirt monster. Then they will cautiously approach and do an exploratory peck. THEN, it will be game on! They will receive their first: grit, practice at digging for their grub where they may find an insect, a worm and some seeds, first greens, many chickie games, dust bathing, and most importantly, beneficial bacteria and fungi to build their gut flora and immunity, AND early exposure to the pathogens in your soil. YES, the latter is important, and best done during the first 2 weeks of a chick's life while they still have antibodies received from their mothers. When my chicks wear out one sod, I give them an other.