My girls are 9 weeks old now, and just moved into their new coop. They won't have
access to outdoors for a few weeks until their run is completed. I'd been
offering them microwaved fine sand (to kill any buggies before bringing indoors
to brooder previously) that we have on our property rather than store-bought
chick grit. I offer it on an old cookie sheet for them to scratch on and eat, and I refill tray
every morning with just a light coating of sand, as they'll just poop on or scratch
out a lot if I over-fill. We also have a pile of builders sand available outside.
Two questions:
Would the coarser sand be okay to offer at this age (treats are mostly dried cereals, oatmeal, veg and fruits (no grains)?
Do I need to wait (like I have been, for about 20 minutes) for them to get a good crop-full of sand before giving their treats, or can they get their treats with the sand readily available after they're done ingesting? Does it matter? I know once outdoors they'll take what they need off the ground, but want to do it right while they're "cooped up".
Thanks!
access to outdoors for a few weeks until their run is completed. I'd been
offering them microwaved fine sand (to kill any buggies before bringing indoors
to brooder previously) that we have on our property rather than store-bought
chick grit. I offer it on an old cookie sheet for them to scratch on and eat, and I refill tray
every morning with just a light coating of sand, as they'll just poop on or scratch
out a lot if I over-fill. We also have a pile of builders sand available outside.
Two questions:
Would the coarser sand be okay to offer at this age (treats are mostly dried cereals, oatmeal, veg and fruits (no grains)?
Do I need to wait (like I have been, for about 20 minutes) for them to get a good crop-full of sand before giving their treats, or can they get their treats with the sand readily available after they're done ingesting? Does it matter? I know once outdoors they'll take what they need off the ground, but want to do it right while they're "cooped up".
Thanks!