Greetings! I recently bought 5 one week old chicks a few days ago, and since they're the first ever chicks I've had, I have a lot of questions. We have one Barred Plymouth Rock, three Leghorns, and one still remains a mystery, however we think it might be a Gold Laced Wyandotte. First off, my chicks are currently residing in a giant plastic tub inside my room. Recently, they've been playing a game where one picks up a piece of their bedding and the others try to chase it and take it away. I'm afraid one of them will get hurt, but I don't know if this is normal behavior or if they're just bored. If so, am I supposed to put out toys for them to play with? I have a little bird doll and built a house out of cardboard for them, but I'm afraid that isn't keeping them occupied. Again, these are my first ever chicks and are only a week old. I also want to thank you all for helping me out on my journey to raise my pride and joy. I've realized I've been asking a lot of questions, but I just want the best for my little ones. Thanks again.
That is a normal game that chick will play. As long as you don't have anything in there that could fall on them, they should be fine.
Its perfectly normal behaviour, so don't worry about it. Sure, there's no harm in entertaining your chicks with objects, including hanging CDs, perches etc. Try searching "toys for chicks" in the search box and seeing what pops up. No need to apologise for asking questions - its the whole point of this forum - we help each other out
The chicks are just playing keepaway with each other. You can try putting out toys for them but they're actually pretty easy to entertain. Food is exciting. Fellow chicks are exciting. You can also put in a few small branches and let them climb on them (make sure they're clean and appropriately sized and well secured, you don't want a branch to fall on one!)
I always called that "quarterbacking" and it gets even more awesome once they start getting treats, especially insects/worms. My chicks always liked going through tunnels. I would pop the bottom out of a cardboard oatmeal container for them. Hand mirrors are also popular. Blocks to hop up onto/down off of, chunk of sod to tear apart, dust bath...
