Chicks on NewsPaper??

[wmsmith09]

I am new to having chickens and before I got them, I had seen a lady who had chicks and she had kept them on Newspaper. Which made sense to me, easy clean up, you can change it a couple times a day. So I did the same thing, but now I'm reading that this can cause something bad in the legs?? My chick seems to be doing fine, running around and flying and anything else he can do, but is this something I should change? I've been having problems finding straw, but I'll look harder if this is something that can have a negative affect on my chicks.

 

[ThePamperedPullet]

Day old chicks should be place on a non slippery surface. The most widely used is paper towels until they are at least 4-5 days. After this time they can be placed on PINE wood shavings. A chicks bones are very soft when first hatched. Slippery surfaces can cause injuries and deformities in the chicks legs and feet. During these first few days is also when you want to correct such hatching deformities such as crooked toes and spraddle leg.

 

[wmsmith09]

Okay thank you, good things to know.