Can my ducklings eat their bedding? Help?

[PoultryLover1289]

Hi I have 2 ducklings that eat whatever bedding I put in. They are in a massive plastic box almost ready to move outside. I don’t want them to just sleep on plastic. I put in these dog training pads for a while until they got bored and ate some of it. They where fine but I don’t use them anymore. Now they are just eating all the straw that I put in there’s some very fine bits of straw in there so I don’t want it to get stuck inside them. Is this normal or should I be worried. They can eat and drink on the plastic and I’ll just put in a towel under the heat lamp where they sleep if that’s a better idea…

 

[Crazy Maizie]

There are seeds in straw that ducks and chickens like. I'd make sure to provide them with a container of grit so they can digest anything extra like that.
Can you post a pic of your set up?

 

[Isadora]

It could be that they are rooting around in the bedding to look for the seeds, as crazy mazie said, they might not actually be eating the straw. And that wouldn't be a concern. Ducks do like to explore substrates.

 

[Crazy Maizie]

It could be that they are rooting around in the bedding to look for the seeds, as crazy mazie said, they might not actually be eating the straw. And that wouldn't be a concern. Ducks do like to explore substrates.

I added fresh straw to my pen yesterday and my grown ducks (and chickens) were ecstatic. They loved rooting around in it. Birds are entertaining to watch.

 

[Isadora]

I added fresh straw to my pen yesterday and my grown ducks (and chickens) were ecstatic. They loved rooting around in it. Birds are entertaining to watch.

 

[PoultryLover1289]

There are seeds in straw that ducks and chickens like. I'd make sure to provide them with a container of grit so they can digest anything extra like that.
Can you post a pic of your set up?

Okay, what grit do u give them because I only have calcium grit which I give to chickens. I don’t think that’s suitable for them so.

That’s there setup^ hopefully next week it will be warmer so they can move outside. I haven’t put there food back in there yet (They just had a bath)

 

[Crazy Maizie]

Calcium isn't grit. You can find chick and chicken grit in the same area that you find the calcium supplements. At this age, I'd offer chick grit. If you live in a climate where the soil has small stones, you don't need supplemental grit, but if not, all chickens need actual grit. It helps digestion. Calcium isn't the same thing as it's too soft to aid in digestion. I offer grit and oyster shell all year. In the winter my ground is too frozen for them to access grit on their own.
How warm will it be? They aren't considered feathered yet.

 

[DukesDucks]

Very cute.
Could you add your location to your profile. It helps when giving advice such as are they too young to go outside.
Do you let them spend sometime outside of their container? I think it is important for their physical development to be able to run around. Beside, watching this is free, hilarious entertainment.

 

[PoultryLover1289]

Very cute.
Could you add your location to your profile. It helps when giving advice such as are they too young to go outside.
Do you let them spend sometime outside of their container? I think it is important for their physical development to be able to run around. Beside, watching this is free, hilarious entertainment.

Yes, they go outside for most of the day in the run. They love Pecking around and they eat grass and dirt.