Dust baths in sand?

[glasstapper]

Hi, I was thinking of using the sand method of bedding for raising my chickens. Is this alright to start chicks out on, or do they need pine bedding first? Also, do they enjoy the sand as far as dust baths go, or do they only take dust baths in real dust?
Thanks

 

[Three Cedars Silkies]

Sand is fine to raise chicks on. The upside is that you can use a coarse strainer and sift through it to get out the poop. Sprinkle a tiny bit of DE in it and it will help keep the flies away and any pests (mites, lice) away.

I might suggest that when they first hatch you put a couple of layers of papertowels over the sand for a few days until they know what their food looks like. It will also give them good footing and help prevent spraddle leg. Then after 4=5 days, take the paper towels out and they should be good to go.

 

[glasstapper]

Quote:
Thanks for the info! Do you usually raise your chicks in sand like that? I don't have chick experience, so just wanna keep them all healthy.

 

[ranchhand]

Hi glasstapper, please spend a few days reading in the following link before experimenting with chicks. Thanks and best of luck!

https://www.backyardchickens.com/lcenter.html

 

[glasstapper]

Quote:
Hi, thanks for the great links. I've already read most of the articles in the past few weeks, but still have some questions and I could go over these again.

Any other info would be great, too.