My Baby Chicks Eat Play Sand!

[Yotta Yotta]

Well that just about says it. I put some play sand in their pin to play with...and they eat it like it tastes better than their chick starter! They get so into it they have sand mustaches.

I put it in there because I noticed they were trying to dust bathe on hard dirt. I thought it was so cute and I wanted to help them out with some nice soft sand, but when they eat it they scare my bf so much he tells me to take it away from them.

How can you get them to stop doing that? I'm scared to try giving them stuff like DE because I'm scared they might eat that too.

 

[Josie]

They are probably just picking up some grit. Since they don't have teeth they need small rocks and sand to "chew" non-chick-starter food.

I have heard that play sand has small amounts of asbestos and and silica, but I have never heard of a chick dying from it. You can put plain ole dirt if you are worried.

National Geographic article on play sand.

 

[Cetawin]

They are doing what is natural...eating it for grit and to help them digest their food. If you put a little codex food grade DE in there and they eat it, it will not hurt them. It is safe for them and even you to eat. Just make sure it is clearly marked codex food grade.