Dirt bath in food dish, What's up with that?

[Lacrystol]

I have 9 baby chicks that are about a 1 1/2 week old, I have taken there chicken starter food and I put it in the food processor because they have gotten spoiled and perfer it in a fine dust. I have it in a pie pan, guess what my crazy chicks are doing right now. Ricky (one of the crazies) is in the food dish, NOT only eating the food but also laying down, taken a dirt bath.. while Ricky is bathing, the others are pecking the food off of him. He is making a total mess. Now he is out of the food dish lay in a clean spot, covered with food. There he goes again, off taken another bath. Ricky has gone absolutely crazy.. He's looks absolutely silly with all that food on him.. As the food is falling off of him, the others are eating it. Should I have a separate bowl for bathing purposes? If so, What should do you use for dirt baths?

 

[hennyannie]

Get that Ricky some play sand before the eat him!

 

[spiritdance]

If they're "bathing," by all means give them a separate "bathtub." I use a pie pan containing an even mix of fine sand, wood ash, and food grade DE. Be warned, though, it is messy, so place it as far away as possible from food and water. They seem to have a miraculous ability to make mud if the dust bath and water dish are in the same zip code.

 

[Lacrystol]

OH GREAT, now Ricky has inspired another one to take a dirt bath in the food. Now I have two chicks with food all over them, do I leave the food on them or try to get it off of them. I'm sure the others will peck it off of them eventually. I have DE that we use for the pool, should I use that? Would that be safe for them? I don't have any sand at least not tonight.


HA HA HA I don't have any Sand play toy for Ricky. This is something I would exspect from my lavender Lucy...

 

[Lacrystol]

I spoke to soon, yes now Lucy's taken a dirt bath in the food dish....

 

[gryeyes]

Do NOT use pool DE!

Just get them some soil, potting soil, yard dirt, whatever. And they can now eat from a feeder, which will keep the from bathing in their feed. They'll still kick it out, but all chicks do that.

 

[Nikki90]

This thread is over a decade old but I just seen my chicks doing the same thing and I'm dying at the description hahaha naughty Ricky