Giving week old chicks sand

[Gmb123]

I have collected some sand from the coast I was wondering if you can give it to a week old chicks

 

[song of joy]

For grit, I'd use chick grit rather than beach sand. As a bedding material, sand would probably be OK, but I've always used pine shavings as they're absorbent and easily composted.

 

[azygous]

I would wash the beach sand you've collected before giving it to the chicks to remove excess salts and silica.

But giving it to chicks is perfectly okay. I brood my chicks from their third day on sand I buy at the local gravel yard. Mine is masonry sand with all sizes of material. The chicks are eating meal worms the first week and are eating raw squash now approaching the end of their second week, obtaining all the grit they need from the sand.

If chicks gobble up too much grit, it washes through their system a lot easier than pine shavings, which all eat, though neither rarely cause problems.

I've observed chicks raised on sand are noticeable happier, more active, and develop chicken skills quicker. There's nothing quite as cute and entertaining as chicks "dirt bathing" in sand, tiny wings and feet windmilling like crazy!

 

[HanksDogTreats]

Yes! We give our baby chicks sand just for something to play in and for practicing their chicken skills. Also, in very hot weather, we give them dampened sand to dig around in and lounge on. They love it! We put in in a tall pile in the corner of the pen and let them scratch until it's level. Great fun to watch.