Chicks eating pine shavings, need advice!

[Smolfarmcatlady]

I have 4 chicks who are 8 days old. They are obsessed with their bedding. They have pine shavings with paper towels over it right now, but they keep kicking aside the paper towels and wolfing down shavings. They know where their food is and like it, but shavings are so much more fun I guess. I had taken the paper towels off a few days ago because from what I read they should be fine with shavings, but they were eating it so I put paper towels back on. Is there any hope that they will be able to use pine shavings? I'm not sure about sand because they also wolf down grit and I have to limit their access to it (I provide it mixed with their crumbles). Please give me advice! These are my first chicks and I have been waiting a long time for them.
Should I dump out their shavings and just do paper towels?
Is there a different bedding I should use for their brooder that they wont eat or would be safe for them to eat?
And very importantly, what can I do for 3 of my chicks who have very full crops? I think they are packed with shavings.

 

[ReagyEggy]

That sounds like a tough situation. My chicks have never eaten their pine shaving bedding, so it sounds like one chick tried it and it must have caught on in your brood.

You don't want them to eat too much of it, so maybe switch to newspaper or paper towels. Talk to someone at your Tractor and Supply Co about types of bedding your chicks won't eat. Or stick with paper towels until the chicks are older, then reintroduce soft pine shavings.

Are you sure that your chicks are really eating it or just scratching at it? All chickens have that natural instinct to scratch, even if they don't find anything. You said they have full crops, but they may have been eating their regular feed. Or maybe not, I'm not there so I can't say for sure.

 

[Smolfarmcatlady]

They only have paper towels now. Hopefully someone can advise me on their crops being full of (I think) shavings.

 

[Norcal527]

Check their crops first thing in the morning and see if they still feel full.

 

[Smolfarmcatlady]

Check their crops first thing in the morning and see if they still feel full.

If they are still full tomorrow morning what would you suggest I do?