Paper towels/Chick bedding

[Rock Home Isle]

just got my first chicks yesterday, so I have a lot to learn.

I put paper towels over my new chicks wood shavings so they wouldn't eat the shavings. I read I was supposed to somewhere. I was wondering how long should I keep them there? I've changed it twice already today and it's all covered in poo.

Also, the little chicks are getting a lot of poo on the bottoms of their bellies. I try to wipe it off but it's pretty sticky. Is that a big deal? I don't want to wipe too hard and hurt them.

I put down newspaper for the first few days for chicks, while they were first in their brooder. Its basically the same thing that you are doing...but I waited to put down the woodshavings. The brooder was a 40 gallon breeder aquarium. The glass allowed the chicks to see me coming when I would check on them, so they didn't startle when I peered into the tank. startling happened a lot when we raised chicks in boxes and they didn't see you until you were right over them.



I had the chicks on paper for about a week and a half, until I was sure that they were all eating and drinking well. I didn't want the chicks pecking at their fecal material and I wanted to keep them clean so each day I would put down a new layer of newspaper right on top of the old layer. And on every 2nd or 3rd day I would just roll the whole mess up like a big giant burrito and throw it into the composter. Then I would hose out the brooder, dry it and start the process over. It was nice onec we were finally on woodshavings.

In the tank I had two stick on gauges,a thermometer and another dial to measure humidity in the tank.

 

[Rock Home Isle]

I had two ducks with the chicks and the ducks helped to show the chicks where the food and water were in the tank. But I had this one hold out that would peck at the paper and not eat or drink....so I had an idea...




I used a laser pointer to get the chick's attention, then as the chick was trying to eat the dot of light I would guide the chick to the food and water with the light. I did this a couple of time during the day and by the end of the day the chick was watering and drinking. It was also fun playing with the laser and having the chicks chase the light...a litte red-neck entertainment I guess.