Eating Bedding - OK?

[Catalina]

My chicks are a week old and I've been using a mix of pine and hemp bedding in their brooder. It's working really well. I change it every day and zero smell....BUT they keep eating little pieces of it! Is this OK?

 

[forevercheepers]

Mine are doing this too! I keep the shavings nice and clean, but they go around and peck at them, especially the darker colored pieces. This won't hurt them, I hope?

 

[Southern28Chick]

For the first week you should have covered the bedding with paper towels until they figured out that the feed is food and not the bedding.

 

[forevercheepers]

Well, mine know that their feed is food...they're pretty good eaters!

They're not eating shavings constantly, just a dark colored piece here and there.

That's interesting, I've never heard that you should cover their bedding with paper towels to stop them eating it.

 

[Chelly]

Mine have the paper towels - and gosh do they POOP alot!!!
They've picked around the edges at the pine shavings, they're just testing everythign I think.

 

[Southern28Chick]

Quote:
That is very interesting. EVERYBODY on this site says thats what to do. Do a search and you'll see.

Edited to add: I just noticed you're new, that's why you didn't know.

 

[Southern28Chick]

Here you go. This is from Ideal Hatchery's website:


b. Cover the floor with an inch or two of rice hulls, shavings, ground corncobs or other semi-coarse, absorbent products that do not easily mat. DO NOT USE CEDAR SHAVINGS, cedar is toxic to chickens. The litter should be covered with burlap material, cheesecloth, paper towels or other non-slick material for the first three days. This will prevent the babies from eating the litter, reduce the possibility of the babies from becoming sprattle-legged and provide for easy access of feed sprinkled on top of the material.

 

[Catalina]

I just took the paper towels off three days ago. They are 9 days old. I think they know where their food is, but they still like to eat the bedding. Maybe I'll give them a little grit. I was just worried about them getting impacted crops.

 

[Southern28Chick]

Quote:
As long as they aren't eating a lot of it they should be fine. They don't need grit. There's grit in the chick feed. Mine did eat a little but got bored of it after a bit.

 

[forevercheepers]

The chick care from Muller Lane Farm didn't have the paper towel thing, but the McMurray one did.

You were right, I wasn't observant enough.

I put some paper towels on top of the shavings, and now I can see all their poop really clearly, lol.

Though it does seem to work. They were a bit confused at first, but they've taken it in stride.