Afraid of new sand

Slotred

In the Brooder
8 Years
Feb 11, 2011
54
0
39
My chicks are eight weeks old, so I'm about to graduate from Raising Baby Chicks. However, I have one new problem that is serious. I put two tons of fresh white sand in my 18X6 run, and my girls are deathly afraid of it. They won't go outside of their coop, and that causes concerns because of the heat here in Coastal Alabama. Anyone else had this problem? I'm hoping they will get used to it, because I don't want to un-shovel two tons of sand.
Thanks very much.
 
Bearing in mind that I too am a newbie:
1. How long has it been? Maybe they just need a day to adjust to the idea?

2. I sprang something new on my 7-week olds today - a black rubber mat draped over the window opening that is their pop door (just a regular sliding window), because it was getting all gummed up with poop. They were very wary and would not approach it. So I picked up three of them, one at a time, gently placing them on it (I have 6 total). Those three immediately realized it was not so scary, and soon after the other three bravely went on the matt.

So, perhaps gently putting your chickens on the sand, maybe along with the incentive of some treat (or just their crumbles) that you know they like, so they have a chance to realize it's okay?
 
Hi, sounds like the same problem another member posted --here-- maybe you'll see something there that helps. I think she decided to spread a lot of weeds and grass on the sand so they could get used to the sand gradually.
 
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Treats! I have some 4 month olds that don't like to leave the coop. On the hot days I carry them out and they will stay out for a short time. They do venture out willingly when I call everyone for treats.
 
Give them some time to get used to it. Treats might help. One will eventually check it out and then others will follow.
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I'm a little worried about this because we're replacing the pine pellet bedding with sand very soon (dh bought the sand yesterday) and I'm hoping they go in the coop at night when it's in there. Luckily the pellets don't look a lot different than sand once they break down but I'm sure the chicks will notice the difference.
 
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Chickens do not like change. They need time to adjust to things slowly. Anytime you change something in the coop, expect them to need some time to get used to it.
 
Thanks for all the help. I'm sure they will get used to it, so I'm not going to worry any more. When I inspected the sand around the run (I put some around to keep the area from getting muddy) I found lots of fresh raccoon tracks. I caught one big one last week, but apparently I have more to deal with, so that problem will consume my time & energy for a while. In the meantime, I'm just enjoying my four little beauties. They were out on the lawn this afternoon with me, and they really had a great time.
 
Wow....I just added white sand to the run....the chickens are freaked out...except for my buff orpingtone & my amauracana..... Figured I'd find an answer on good ole BYC! Thanks for the post.
 

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