Need chick grit if adding dust bath?

[HensInTheForest]

Ok yet another silly question.

4 week olds are starting to nestle and now dust bathe in the shavings.

Shavings are landing on backs and others are pecking them. They just lay there happy.

I was going to add a dirt dust bath area, dirt from the run area where they will be in 10 days.
I have fresh unopened playground sand as well which is better or preferred?
Won’t they gobble up the sand and dirt??
Do I need to add chick grit Just in case???

 

[nuthatched]

I wouldn't use the play sand, personaly.
The only concern about using run dirt is coccidiosis buts since it's easy to treat., it's not. Huge worry.

 

[HensInTheForest]

I wouldn't use the play sand, personaly.
The only concern about using run dirt is coccidiosis buts since it's easy to treat., it's not. Huge worry.

Got it, thats right I do remember others saying that now.
Scratch the playground sand!!

 

[raingarden]

Once they are in the run they are exposed to and become one with soil. There is no way around that. Whether or not they can effectively dust bathe in the run soil is another story. It needs to have the right texture and moisture level for bathing. Play sand drys quickly and gets dusty. It may, or may not, be better than the native soil for dust bathing. I wouldn't worry about them eating sand or native soil. It happens all the time and cannot be prevented.

Coccidiosis is what it is. They may have to be treated until their immune system learns how to cope with it.

Native soil may, or may not, have the right size grit. The play sand may be able to serve as grit although it tends to be a little small. You can pour some through a piece of window screen to check or add grit that has already been screened to the proper size on the side.

 

[Magda12]

Ok yet another silly question.

4 week olds are starting to nestle and now dust bathe in the shavings.

Shavings are landing on backs and others are pecking them. They just lay there happy.

I was going to add a dirt dust bath area, dirt from the run area where they will be in 10 days.
I have fresh unopened playground sand as well which is better or preferred?
Won’t they gobble up the sand and dirt??
Do I need to add chick grit Just in case???

I was putting my chicks outside on warm days at about 2 weeks. At 3 weeks, I got a galvanized tub and added some sifted dirt from our yard (mostly clay). To that, I added construction sand, peat moss, Saturday Lime (non caustic lime, don't use just any lime), dried lavender buds and dried rosemary. They have been using this dust bath for a couple of weeks now and they love it. Mine do eat the dust bath, but I still offer grit. I have had a bag of chick grit since day 1 and it's still over half full. I have 10 chicks.

 

[FBMcrazy8]

I was putting my chicks outside on warm days at about 2 weeks. At 3 weeks, I got a galvanized tub and added some sifted dirt from our yard (mostly clay). To that, I added construction sand, peat moss, Saturday Lime (non caustic lime, don't use just any lime), dried lavender buds and dried rosemary. They have been using this dust bath for a couple of weeks now and they love it. Mine do eat the dust bath, but I still offer grit. I have had a bag of chick grit since day 1 and it's still over half full. I have 10 chicks.

I also bought chick grit, 2 small bags, not knowing how fast it would go. I give it to my chicks as well every once in a while and there is so much left. They don’t really mess with it. Which is fine since they don’t need a whole lot. But expected them to go through faster considering I have 18 of the littles. Makes me feel better seeing that someone else doesn’t use a lot. I haven’t seen much about chick grit on here.

 

[rosemarythyme]

I also bought chick grit, 2 small bags, not knowing how fast it would go. I give it to my chicks as well every once in a while and there is so much left. They don’t really mess with it. Which is fine since they don’t need a whole lot. But expected them to go through faster considering I have 18 of the littles. Makes me feel better seeing that someone else doesn’t use a lot. I haven’t seen much about chick grit on here.

That's normal. Buy it once, and you'll have enough grit for chicks for the rest of your life.