please reassure me they aren't going to kill themselves. . .

[UrbanFarming]

it's kiln dried pine. . . I wasn't worried about the shavings themselves. . but they
were -eating- it. . .the smaller bits. and playing 'keep away' with bigger shavings.
So far that behavior seems to have stopped. . .and they do seem to love them.
but there's a few that persistently are digging in a corner (cardboard under the
shavings) and I haven't got a clue why they are doing it. They aren't harming the
cardboard.. . just scrabbling around in the corner. I have short video of them. .
but it's not on youtube, it's on my fb. . .I don't know if the link will work.

https://www.facebook.com/video.php?v=10152319175456532

Mine like to create bare spots in the shavings too. They peck at the knots in the wood and peck at the wood floor. Totally normal. I wouldn't worry about them eating the shavings if they're running around playing. Sounds like they are just being silly babies to me.

 

[aart]

It's funny to watch them scratch at just a couple days old....I used puppy pads and their little nails would get caught in it when they tried to scratch and they'd knock themselves over.

 

[lazy gardener]

Chicks are hatched with the instinct to scratch and dig around to create dust baths. You can help them by giving them a pie tin or similar container full of garden soil. Don't give them potting soil with vermiculite or perlite, just plain soil. they'll have a blast bathing in it, and it will help them to build their immunity.