Head shaking in chicks

[Windala]

Sand vs pine shavings for 2ish week old chicks? My husband wants to do the whole brooder in sand. I made my chicks a dust bath yesterday, one of them was shaking her head a bit. I checked for mites and lice, I don't see anything. But today a 2nd chick is shaking her head, she looks fine too. Read on a forum some people replaced the pine shavings with sand. Everyone is eating, drinking, running around and sleeping normal. Any advice? Should I get rid of the pine shavings and go full sand with some wood ash and diatomaceous earth? Why else would they be shaking their heads, even while they are sleeping?

 

[PD-Riverman]

Sand vs pine shavings for 2ish week old chicks? My husband wants to do the whole brooder in sand. I made my chicks a dust bath yesterday, one of them was shaking her head a bit. I checked for mites and lice, I don't see anything. But today a 2nd chick is shaking her head, she looks fine too. Read on a forum some people replaced the pine shavings with sand. Everyone is eating, drinking, running around and sleeping normal. Any advice? Should I get rid of the pine shavings and go full sand with some wood ash and diatomaceous earth? Why else would they be shaking their heads, even while they are sleeping?

"Flake" pine shavings hurts nothing I have ever seen and I have raised ALOT of chicks on it. But I have used some sand too as a bedding. Here is what I do or would do. I personally like wire floor brooders the best, but if I had chicks that need to go in the over flow brooders. I put a little flake shavings in the bottom---Not inches deep, add food and water, But the chick feed gets a sprinkle of sand everytime I fill it up---like peppering your food kinda heavy. """"""""Proper""""""" brooder set-up and I rarely loose a chick.

 

[lazy gardener]

I would skip the DE and wood ash for now. No need for it. DE is a lung irritant, and wood ash is simply... messy.