Chicken eating shavings?

[RhodeIslandRed5]

My chicks are approx 5 weeks old. No, I don't have them any grit. It's mostly my sweet little runt that will come up and eat the shavings out of the feeder when we try to pick them out. My chicks are still inside a my house in a canvas dog pen. We move them outside to enclosures where they can forage and play for awhile, I cannot leave them outside yet as I have too many predators that would try hard to get them. I don't have a safe enough building for that, and no dog.

 

[RhodeIslandRed5]

We will scrap up some yard dirt and put inside the pen for them to scratch in, but it doesn't take long for them to get it covered in shavings after they dig in it.

 

[Henriettamom919]

My chicks are approx 5 weeks old. No, I don't have them any grit. It's mostly my sweet little runt that will come up and eat the shavings out of the feeder when we try to pick them out. My chicks are still inside a my house in a canvas dog pen. We move them outside to enclosures where they can forage and play for awhile, I cannot leave them outside yet as I have too many predators that would try hard to get them. I don't have a safe enough building for that, and no dog.

A few shavings won't hurt but they need chick grit now, especially with forage. It's the only thing that grinds up their food for digestion and will keep those shavings from building up. You can get chick grit anywhere that carries chicken food/supplies. I can't stress enough how important grit is to chickens; they can't break down food without it.

 

[RhodeIslandRed5]

Yes,,I know where I can get some. Thanks! But how long will they need to be on it?

 

[Henriettamom919]

Yes,,I know where I can get some. Thanks! But how long will they need to be on it?

Until they graduate to layer grit. My big girls free range but I offer layer grit near their feed and water dishes and they still use it.

My 4 babies (10-12 weeks old) clean a handful of chick grit from the feeder (I mix it in their feed) every 2-3 days. I also sprinkle a handful on the ground when they forage in the garden.

They'll always need grit; even free rangers will eventually clean appropriate sized rocks from their forage areas after awhile.

 

[Criticalicious]

Grit should be freely offered in a dish at all times to all ages of chickens, even those that forage. It doesn't go bad if it stays dry. It's possible that the chick is only eating shavings when she sees you reaching your hand in the feeder to remove them - maybe she thinks those are treats. Your hand looks like mama hen pecking/pointing at food. Try poking her neck/back of her head gently when she does it, tell her it's not food.

 

[Taj_MaChicken]

I had a chick who ate pine shavings... she got really sick and I thought we were going to lose her. She's one of the oldest, but because she wouldn't eat or drink right for a couple weeks, she's now my runt. Grit is your friend.

 

[RhodeIslandRed5]

Grit should be freely offered in a dish at all times to all ages of chickens, even those that forage. It doesn't go bad if it stays dry. It's possible that the chick is only eating shavings when she sees you reaching your hand in the feeder to remove them - maybe she thinks those are treats. Your hand looks like mama hen pecking/pointing at food. Try poking her neck/back of her head gently when she does it, tell her it's not food.

Yeah, she probably thinks I'm her mother because I've babied her since she was itty bitty because she'd get pushed from the feeder and still does. As for treats, I give her a couple of mealworms a day. She comes running when she sees me reach for the mealworm bag, or hears it crinkle. She is very well spoiled, and I hug her the most.

 

[ChickenCanoe]

At 5 weeks, they are too old for chick grit to be of any benefit. It is too small to be retained in the gizzard. By 3 weeks, they should transition to #2 size grit which is about 3/16". By 7 weeks, they can move to adult grit.
They need grit their whole lives, just like most birds. Sometimes a property has adequate grit available on the ground but not always. Grit is cheap so buy some.
You can probably go ahead and get adult grit because it does contain some smaller pieces and by the time you get it, they'll nearly be ready. I start chicks on grit the first or second day after hatch.