Chicks taking dust baths?

[Ms Clucky]

I always put a couple of layers of paper towels down, then covered the floor in their feed for a couple of weeks. Then I put wood chips in. When they first hatch, they seem to want to eat the wood chips. which is way to big for them. It seems to work.

 

[Gallinarium]

Really? I’ve got a really skittish hen. How could I help her get used to me touching her?

Some birds just don't want to be touched, ever. But you want to make her want to be touched, AKA, bribery. Pick her up then offer her food. It's as simple as that. Or, you may want to start out hand-feeding.

 

[CHlCKEN]

I tried hand feeding. I feel like something must have happened at the hatchery, like being thrown around, or when they were vaccinated, that caused them to be as cautious as they are. Whenever I stick my hand in they go crazy and sometimes fly out (I’m switching them to a doggy crate soon so the can’t) hand feeding is at the top of my list, but their afraid to come near my hand!

 

[Gallinarium]

I tried hand feeding. I feel like something must have happened at the hatchery, like being thrown around, or when they were vaccinated, that caused them to be as cautious as they are. Whenever I stick my hand in they go crazy and sometimes fly out (I’m switching them to a doggy crate soon so the can’t) hand feeding is at the top of my list, but their afraid to come near my hand!

Use a different approach. Whenever you open the door, toss in food or greens. Eventually they'll realize that you're tossing in goodies, not bombs. Throw it closer to the door as you progress, eventually just holding it. Just keep trying.

 

[KarynVA]

My 5 week old chicks took their first dust bath today, all on their own. I had them outside, supervised continually, in a fenced in shady/sunny grassy area. I've done this several times but today is the first time I've seen the chicks roll around in the grass and fluff their feathers.

I decided to create a dust bath for them and got some fine dirt from a sunny part of our garden and filled a terra cotta flower pot saucer. They loved it. I put it in their brooder after playtime outdoors was over, and they were using it like experts.

On the hand-feeding topic, my chicks haven't been interested in being fed by hand, either. My daughter suggested we get inside the fenced area with them today while they were outside, as a means of bonding with them. So we did that (which was uncomfortable, lol) and the chicks became much easier to pet and hold and they even took food from our hands during that outdoor time.

 

[mapurcel]

I did read that to. That’s one of the reasons I decided not to, I was just wondering if I should

This is interesting to hear! I thought chick grit and sand were okay after a week or two post hatch.

btw, is there every a time too early to introduce chicks to dirt if they are in a brooder and want to dust bathe? I had a young chick die of some viral/bacterial infection when they were less than 4 weeks and the only thing I recently changed was bringing them outside to peck in the dirt.

 

[rosemarythyme]

This is interesting to hear! I thought chick grit and sand were okay after a week or two post hatch.

btw, is there every a time too early to introduce chicks to dirt if they are in a brooder and want to dust bathe? I had a young chick die of some viral/bacterial infection when they were less than 4 weeks and the only thing I recently changed was bringing them outside to peck in the dirt.

You'll get different responses from everyone on how they handle this. I give grit immediately. I also expose them to outside conditions immediately, as I brood them outdoors on the run floor - I personally feel that exposure helps their immune systems to develop. They do eat some of the dirt/shavings so that's my logic as to why they need the grit.

 

[mapurcel]

You'll get different responses from everyone on how they handle this. I give grit immediately. I also expose them to outside conditions immediately, as I brood them outdoors on the run floor - I personally feel that exposure helps their immune systems to develop. They do eat some of the dirt/shavings so that's my logic as to why they need the grit.

Thank you for your kind reply. I was on another let’s call it social media site, and was ridiculed for suggesting that different owners prefer to do things differently when it comes to outside introduction, and other environmental factors while chicks are still young in the brooder.
Sometimes I feel like heated personal philosophy gets in the way of being helpful to one another. That’s when I come here to ask because I know it is a welcoming community.

 

[rosemarythyme]

Thank you for your kind reply. I was on another let’s call it social media site, and was ridiculed for suggesting that different owners prefer to do things differently when it comes to outside introduction, and other environmental factors while chicks are still young in the brooder.

We all do it differently because we all have different climates, different schedules, different lifestyles, different experiences. I brooded my first batch indoors and did not enjoy it - the chicks were chirpy, they weren't sleeping (light 24/7), they were messy and smelly. And they ended up with coccidiosis.

After that I've brooded outdoors, and it's been a lot less stressful for me (no health issues other than what a couple were born with), plus allows them to learn to be chickens from other chickens. But not everyone has the set up to brood outdoors (i.e. lack of electricity, no secured area).

 

[mapurcel]

We all do it differently because we all have different climates, different schedules, different lifestyles, different experiences. I brooded my first batch indoors and did not enjoy it - the chicks were chirpy, they weren't sleeping (light 24/7), they were messy and smelly. And they ended up with coccidiosis.

After that I've brooded outdoors, and it's been a lot less stressful for me (no health issues other than what a couple were born with), plus allows them to learn to be chickens from other chickens. But not everyone has the set up to brood outdoors (i.e. lack of electricity, no secured area).

Lots of respect for recognizing differences and still being supportive and helpful by sharing your experiences.