Best first dust bath?

[Cristyloks]

So, I'm late to providing a dust bath situation for my 7-8 week old chicks (they are in pine shavings and often take dust baths in those.) They haven't been exposed outdoors as we're working on our run and coop. I've never fed them medicated starter feed. Is it best to introduce some top soil from our yard as a dust bath option to build some tolerance? Would I need to switch to medicated feed after introducing that? We have some construction sand we can mix into it..anything else worth adding? It will likely be a couple weeks yet before they can spend some time outdoors. Sorry for all the questions, I'm not new to chickens but these are my first chicks!

 

[igorsMistress]

Hi there. Definitely use just plain old dirt from the yard, no sand. I wouldn’t change to medicated feed, they’ll build tolerance naturally just like broody raised chicks. Have some corid on hand in case of issues, but only treat if necessary.

 

[rosemarythyme]

Plain old dirt is fine, but don't expect to inoculate them via exposure at this point, they're too old for it. Medicated feed is an option or have Corid on hand in case you see signs of lethargy and/or bloody stools.

 

[Cristyloks]

Thank you for responses! I do have Corid on hand!​

 

[SandyRiverChick]

My soil is mostly sand and I give them a tote full of it for dust bathing at about 3 weeks. The pro's do outweigh the cons but indeed I've had to treat for coccidiosis regarding less of whether they are on medicated or non-medicated feed. Whatever the amount in medicated is, it's just not enough to combat coccidiosis so that's mute point.