Scratching like Crazy

[mommto3kiddos]

My 3 week old chickies are scratching in the brooder like crazy! I usually line the bottom with newspaper then shavings on top, but they just destroy the paper within minutes now. They are pecking and scratching, so I put a small clump of grass in to I guess give them something to peck at, but should I do anything else? Is it ok that they peck at the pine shavings??

 

[maclady]

If your chicks are anything like mine they are getting up the food that they scratched into the shavings. I put my feeder up on a platform and they still managed to get the food out and onto the brooder floor then would scratch around and eat it from there. They are 41 days old today and are doing fine. They were on shavings alone after 1 week. First week I had paper towel down on top of the shavings. Enjoy your babies cause they sure do grow fast!

 

[chicknbuns]

My less than 1 week old chicks are in a huge metal water trough and they are constantly scratching through the shavings to the shiney bottom where they peck at the floor! Too cute. Anything shilney has them mezmerized!!

 

[AKsmama]

It's totally normal, instinctual behavior for them. I put a container with dirt and grass in my brooder and they loved it! I changed it every day so they'd have something fresh to mess around in. I love watching chicks scratch, it's so funny!