Dust baths?

[naturemom]

My chicks seem to be taking dust baths in the pine shavings, prompting the other ones to peck the shavings out of their feathers. Is that okay or should I give them a dish of DE or something?

 

[Dawn419]

My chicks (just over 2 weeks old now) have been using their pine shavings for dusting also and I haven't had any problems. I have seen them pick at the shavings on one another but it isn't an aggressive action, so I just let them be.

If I give them a treat, then I give them a shallow bowl of play sand for grit and they love using that for dust bathing also. Hope this is some help.

 

[Queen of the Lilliputians]

Ok, this may be anthropomorphism (did I spell that right??), but I always thought it was sort of sweet, like they were cleaning each other off.

LOL, yeah, I know.. they aren't monkeys looking for bugs in each other's hair.. but that's just how it struck me.

Meghan

 

[schmoo]

Mine are 3 1/2 weeks old and I noticed them dusting in the shavings too. I've read others mix some sand, a little DE and a little shavings and put it in a kiddie pool for them to "dust" in. Well I ordered some DE today, so I was planning to try to find a kiddie pool for $ cheap. I was wandering around in the barn and found one of my sons old plastic sleds. PERFECT and free! also a pool would've taken up alot of room in the coop.

I just used some sand and shavings, until my DE arrives and they LOVE IT. They started burying themselves and playing.

 

[Nic]

My 2wk old today chicks do the same in their wood shavings and then sort of gently peck them out of each others feathers. Very cute

 

[chickedeefarm]

my silkies do the same. i keep them in paper towel the 1st 2 weeks and move them to shavings the 2nd week. It is the cutest thing to see when they 1st discover the shavings.

 

[CarriBrown]

Quote:
That is one of my favorite things!! They get so excited with the shavings! They discover scratching, digging and dust bathing. So cute.