Baby chicks eating bedding?

[UrbanHenKW123]

Hi there - I have 3 day old chicks and they are scratching around the brooder and pecking at the bottom. They definitely know where their food and water is so I don't have any paper towel down. I found they were getting stuck under the paper towels. I noticed their crops are really full. But they've been eating a lot today. Should I be concerned? I had bought some "chick" grit but its not very fine and is recommended for 2 weeks plus. Any recommendations?

 

[Steven Bussell]

Mine ate pine shavings and are now 5 weeks old...
What kind of bedding are you using

 

[RoosterML]

I wouldn’t worry. Chicks are always scratching around. If really worried you could always use an old towel or rag. Some use the doggy pads.

 

[Aunt Angus]

My current batch did this at first, too. I switched the bedding to puppy pads for a while. Now I give them grit (they are almost 5 weeks old), and they are on hemp bedding. But at 3 days, I wonder if the bedding is small enough for them to eat. But I could be wrong. My last group ate their pine shavings at first until they figured out what was edible and what wasn't, and they fared ok and gave it up after a day or so.

Maybe keep an eye on their crops/poop. If they have empty crops in the morning, they are fine (this will work only if you aren't using a lamp for heat). If they are pooping normally, then they must be processing things ok. The group I have in the brooder now are bantams and seem so much more fragile than the others. I am kind of treating them with kid gloves, so to speak.

 

[UrbanHenKW123]

Thanks guys! I was kinda worried for a bit!

I’m using aspen shavings. It’s big enough that their little beaks can’t break it down. But as with a lot of shavings there’s always tiny bits.
I’m using a titan incubator brooder heater for their heat source. And this is my last night with 24 hour light. They seem to love it. Poops are good. Definitely lots of poops. No pasty butt yet. I think I’ll wait until they’re two weeks to give them grit and treats. Any recommendations for grit in case I decide to give it to them now ? I heard sandbox sand is an ok bc it’s small?

 

[trumpeting_angel]

Mine ate pine shavings from arrival at one week, and they were on pine shavings at the feed store. To this day, they peck at pine shavings when I put fresh into the coop. They are 12 or 13 weeks and doing fine. I think they eat the sawdust.

I’m not a grit expert, but I would point out that chicken mamas often bring babies out of the nest very early, and they are ingesting grit that way, along with whatever else they find.

 

[Aunt Angus]

Decomposed granite is good. I think play sand has other stuff in it. They also bagged "chick grit" at feed stores.

 

[Steven Bussell]

I only offer grits two days before letting them outside. And only because I started feeding them treats. I use treats to help train them to get back in the coop... They are doing really good about going to bed on their own...

 

[rosemarythyme]

It's ok if they eat some small shaving pieces and normal for them to want to scratch and forage, but if a bird is gorging on it or preferring it to feed then I'd consider removing the bedding. Aspen as you noted usually is a larger flake so that should be a safe bedding in most cases.

The chick grit you have should be fine to offer them (fine as in ok, not fine as in very tiny bits)... I always offer a little bit of grit from the start and the chicks haven't had issue with it. Most sand is too small to function as grit, even for chicks.

 

[UrbanHenKW123]

It's ok if they eat some small shaving pieces and normal for them to want to scratch and forage, but if a bird is gorging on it or preferring it to feed then I'd consider removing the bedding. Aspen as you noted usually is a larger flake so that should be a safe bedding in most cases.

The chick grit you have should be fine to offer them (fine as in ok, not fine as in very tiny bits)... I always offer a little bit of grit from the start and the chicks haven't had issue with it. Most sand is too small to function as grit, even for chicks.

Thanks this is very helpful. They’ve been eating a lot but then going and foraging around the brooder. But definitely a lot of interest in the food which is good.

The grit I got is the Manna chick grit