Chicks eating their poop

[Mattemma]

I just noticed last night some of the chicks eating poop-really gooey stuff. I have the chicks in a playpen,in wood shavings,and feed medicated starter. Am I supposed to be feeding them lettuce or oats? Something new to stop the poop eating? I clean the bedding every few days due to the serious stink,but they are grabibg at the new droppings which I just can't stop.Just like I can not get them not to eat the wood.

I think they were born sometime around the end of May. I got them from my kids school.I do a picture blog for the school so they can see the chicks they hatched.

http://msmvchicks.blogspot.com/

Just not sure what to do about this poop eating.They get the poop covered shavings and run around like my hens do with a bug,so I am thinking adding a new food or worms would help distract them from the poop.I am sure the kids are checking the blog,so I am trying really hard to keep all these guys healthy and happy.I don't recall my other hens eating poop,or maybe I just never caught them in the act.

 

[MMPoultryFarms]

Chicks will be chicks This is why some people give them medicated feed. Make sure to always start chicks out on burlap sacks or papertowls over there bedding when first feeding them. assuming there over 1 month old you can try adding grass snip in there pen to give them something else to chase around. Also try Frozen corn cobs. (beware your chicks might try to kill you the next time you walk threw the door if you don't have another for them.

 

[SmittenChicken]

I think you're right, giving them some new treats may distract them from the poop - my girls were getting grass clippings, yogurt, etc at that age and did just fine with it (Just make sure they have grit if you give anything besides yogurt or egg yolks!). Didn't have a problem with mine eating poop, and they seemed to lose interest in pecking at the shavings after they started getting treats. Now that I think about it, the pine shavings, poop, and medicated feed probably don't taste all that different from one another!
My chicks went nuts over tiny shreds of red leaf lettuce in particular. I'd sprinkle pieces over the hardware cloth on top of their brooder and they'd spend the next 20 min pecking like mad and doing the worm chase all around the brooder. I bet the kids that hatched your chicks would love to see that on video!

 

[Mattemma]

Thank you for the posts. I spent the last 2 days moving the chicks and the playpen brooder out to the garage.I also set up a small area for them in the yard.They were busy eating the grass,and digging in the dirt.Less poop eating.Gave them some sand too for grit.

http://msmvchicks.blogspot.com/