3 day olds and pine shavings - will they eat too much?

[kwack]

We have had our 5 new hatches on rubber shelf liner but, boy do they poop a lot. I was swapping and rinsing the liner two times a day already ( day two). So today we added wood pellets but it seemed like they didn't like the feel of it. They no longer frenzied and sprinted back and forth and would just stand still. Then we added pine shavings to soften the pellet edges and they went crazy pecking and eating them. I was so worried I put the shelf liner back on top of the shavings.

Will they figure it out and stop eating them eventually? Should I expose a little bit of shavings at a time?

Thanks,
kwack

 

[chickiebaby]

little bit wont hurt em -- and if they have seen and eaten food already they will be fine.

 

[nivtup]

Our chicks pretty much go straight onto shavings. No problems from this practice yet.

My guess is the shavings do not taste very good as they seem to figure it out real fast.

 

[B. Saffles Farms]

Nah it wont hurt them, Ive never had any problems. Mine go onto pine shavings, in only a couple days after they hatch.

 

[Renee]

They can eat too much of the shavings. It can cause impacted crop problems. Most won't each much because it does not taste good, but some just munch it all down.

Have you considered using paper towels?

 

[shelleyd2008]

If you use the pellets, add a little bit of water to it to make it break down. Once it gets wet, it crumbles, and makes it more comfortable on their feet.
Everyone that I have had on shavings has eaten it, and I have heard of them dying from it. I won't ever use shavings on my ducklings again, pellets are so much cleaner!

 

[nettie]

My ducklings are a month old, they've been on pine shavings since day one... with no problems... They do eat some of it, and the esp like biting after it when i am sprinkling it in their rubbermaid brooders... But it's not a problem. My ducks are perfectly healthy.