Baby chicks eating pine dust

BarbaraW

In the Brooder
Apr 1, 2023
13
6
14
North East Texas
Hello I am new to raising chickens and have 14 almost 4 week old chicks. I noticed that they are now doing a lot of scratching in the pine shavings and appear to be eating the dust as well as spilled crumbles. I read that you can give them a little grit in their food if they are doing this so I sprinkled some on the top of their food and mixed it in as well as some in the area that they are doing this in and moved the feeder over to another spot. I also saw that you could (should) offer the chick grit by itself in another container so I tried that but when I put it down I had several immediately treat it like their feed so after a minute I picked it back up because I was afraid they would end up with crop issues. Now I am afraid that a couple had too much too much even though it wasn’t down for very long. How much can they have of the grit and should I even offer it if they are eating the pine dust/crumble they scratch up? They are still on crumble only and have not been offered any treats or other things yet so I have never given them grit before. Any advice is appreciated!
 
hello @BarbaraW , welcome to BYC :frow

Your chicks are following their natural instincts to scratch the ground and forage for food. They explore the world and learn what is edible and what is not by putting it in their mouths (like human babies and toddlers do). If you could pop them outside on grass/leaf litter, or dig up a clod of turf and put it in their brooder, they would enjoy it and it would be good for their health.

And if you offer things you think they might like or need in separate dishes, instead of mixed into their food, you will be able to see more easily what they like/need and what they don't.
 
Thank you so much! I offered the chicks the grit in a feeding trayI have used for their feed before they got to big and maybe this is why they thought it was food. I will offer the grit in a different bowl next time. Doing their first dust bath station today with a little DE and coop dirt (sandy) I hope they enjoy it!
 
hello @BarbaraW , welcome to BYC :frow

Your chicks are following their natural instincts to scratch the ground and forage for food. They explore the world and learn what is edible and what is not by putting it in their mouths (like human babies and toddlers do). If you could pop them outside on grass/leaf litter, or dig up a clod of turf and put it in their brooder, they would enjoy it and it would be good for their health.

And if you offer things you think they might like or need in separate dishes, instead of mixed into their food, you will be able to see more easily what they like/need and what they don't.
Oooooh, a clod of turf is a good idea! I'm going to try that today!
 

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