chicks loving insulated pink board

[rocknrod428]

I have a brooder which is a oakes poultry and hog apparatus (antique) which I got from the attic from a friend. It had a cloth exterior that was dry rotted and did away with. I made a frame and out of 2 by four and put inch and a half pink board for insulation value. I had 10 banties that I bought from rural king and all worked well. The shipment of 50 day old chicks that came in were great lost a few but am inexperienced and so am working on that. Climate and temp have been fine tuned with thermostat and am moving some air at low volume to keep humidity down. Hoping next time will have less losses. Lost only cornish crosses so might be a problem with them. All of the sudden on the second batch they went crazy on the pink board. I lined the top ten inches with plywood to deter this. A few days went great the next thing I know they are running at full speed jumping and pecking above the plywood and eating above that level to get at that pink board. Just lined another 10 inches to resolve that problem. Hope to get them out as soon as possible. Is this common? Will rectify this problem before I do any more by lining the brooder with plywood all the way. Are these guys like kids and when you get a group together do they act crazy? First time chicken farmer and everybody thinks I am crazy. I am having fun and keep telling them I am going to put Tyson out of business. Will soon have RBC Farms on the market so be watching for us!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[meriruka]

Chicks are just like children. They are obsessed with the very things you most want them to avoid and will eat absolutely everything except what is good for them. They will eat styrofoam, paper towels, insulation, latex caulk, shavings. If they stole it from somewhere, that is a HUGE bonus because everyone knows stolen food tastes better.

 

[walkswithdog]

Oh god they love foam insulation and styrofoam... They don't eat it for the most part as much as pull tiny bits off for endless amusement. They're death on it at any age if it's exposed. Silly creatures.

Now the odd one out will actually eat it and eat too much and hurt itself but the same idiot bird is as likely to eat too much pine shavings or grit. That one bird is defective.

Mostly they just destroy it and make you work harder.

 

[Davaroo]

I guess no one told you about this stuff, huh?

Chickens are manic when it comes to styrofoam of any kind.
It stems from two things:

1. Their excellent eyesight - they see things we cannot see.
2. A tendencey to peck at everything for edibility. - once they see it, they're gonna try it.

Styorofoam, when jabbed with a rapier-sharp beak, comes apart in such a satisfying way to a chicken.

------------------------------------------------------------------------

That is the value in a good reference book - it starts you in the right direction. Most will steer you away from things like styrofom and towards things that have worked for decades.

It is true, that there are many ways to do a thing. But, there are only few a basic truths behind any of them.
Here at BYC, the din of voices, while entertaining and comforting, often shields some of the basic truths from the newcomer.

Get a good book, first.