Week olds...dust baths, heat and bedding

Ccort

Crowing
Dec 30, 2021
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Kentucky, USA
My babies will be a week old tomorrow. I cannot belive how much they've grown already and their little tail feathers are coming in!
I've noticed a couple are bathing in their food that has spilled onto the puppy pads. Do I need to provide a dust bath? What do I actually use for this and do I leave it in for a certain period of time?
Also, I know I am supposed to reduce the heat but because I am using a heat plate...do I just raise it a bit? Or should I adjust the room temperature instead and knock that down a couple of degrees? (I raised my house temp upon receiving the babies.)
Lastly, they have had grit twice now. How often should I give it at this age? And if I now let them use pine bedding, will it still causes them harm to eat it since they have chick grit? If so, what do I do? They need real bedding eventually and these pads are covered in poo in no time at all.

Thank you for your help. Really, I dont know what I would do without this forum!
 
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Okay. What is "beesing"? That has me stumped.

Chicks, no matter how young, appreciate a dirt bath. Get a salad bowl and fill it with sand or peat moss or planting soil without insecticides. They will make a glorious mess of it.

Grit can be provided free choice all the time. It's insurance against them eating too much of the wrong thing and getting compacted.

Heat is something it sounds like you can use a little tutoring on. Chicks need a heat source to replace lost body heat. The ambient temp can be a comfortable 70F or a chilly 40F. It makes no difference whatsoever. It's the heat source the chicks will use to replace lost body heat.

They need less supplemental heat during the day when they're busy stuffing calories into their bodies. At night they need more heat as they aren't consuming calories, so they lose more.
 
Okay. What is "beesing"? That has me stumped.

Chicks, no matter how young, appreciate a dirt bath. Get a salad bowl and fill it with sand or peat moss or planting soil without insecticides. They will make a glorious mess of it.

Grit can be provided free choice all the time. It's insurance against them eating too much of the wrong thing and getting compacted.

Heat is something it sounds like you can use a little tutoring on. Chicks need a heat source to replace lost body heat. The ambient temp can be a comfortable 70F or a chilly 40F. It makes no difference whatsoever. It's the heat source the chicks will use to replace lost body heat.

They need less supplemental heat during the day when they're busy stuffing calories into their bodies. At night they need more heat as they aren't consuming calories, so they lose more.
Oops. I meant "bedding." Typo.

Ok...I was afraid my house might be too chilly as well while they explore around. If I am honest, I have enjoyed it being warmer though myself.:)
They clearly put themselves to bed and all go under the heat at night. I haven't adjusted the heat plate though from day to night. Shoukd I be?
 
My babies will be a week old tomorrow. I cannot belive how much they've grown already and their little tail feathers are coming in!
I've noticed a couple are bathing in their food that has spilled onto the puppy pads. Do I need to provide a dust bath? What do I actually use for this and do I leave it in for a certain period of time?
Also, I know I am supposed to reduce the heat but because I am using a heat plate...do I just raise it a bit? Or should I adjust the room temperature instead and knock that down a couple of degrees? (I raised my house temp upon receiving the babies.)
Lastly, they have had grit twice now. How often should I give it at this age? And if I now let them use pine bedding, will it still causes them harm to eat it since they have chick grit? If so, what do I do? They need real bedding eventually and these pads are covered in poo in no time at all.

Thank you for your help. Really, I dont know what I would do without this forum!
Dust baths are what chickens need. If they don’t get dust baths they can be stressed and bored. My chickens began throwing up because they were bored, anxious, and stressed.
 
Oops. I meant "bedding." Typo.

Ok...I was afraid my house might be too chilly as well while they explore around. If I am honest, I have enjoyed it being warmer though myself.:)
They clearly put themselves to bed and all go under the heat at night. I haven't adjusted the heat plate though from day to night. Shoukd I be?
i recommend using a heat lamp and placing it three feet from bottom.
 
So, with a heat plate, you can just raise it up to the next setting. I usually just raise the front by one notch and leave the back so the plate is tilted and they can choose how much heat they want.
For the grit, I just leave a small bowl in the brooder. They will probably dump it, but then they can eat off the floor too.
Once they are a week old and have grit, go ahead and put the pine shavings in. They will eat some, but don't worry about it.
I put in a small square of grass after the first week and the chicks scratch it up and turn it into a dirt bath. They are so cute when they first start bathing! 😊
 
So, with a heat plate, you can just raise it up to the next setting. I usually just raise the front by one notch and leave the back so the plate is tilted and they can choose how much heat they want.
For the grit, I just leave a small bowl in the brooder. They will probably dump it, but then they can eat off the floor too.
Once they are a week old and have grit, go ahead and put the pine shavings in. They will eat some, but don't worry about it.
I put in a small square of grass after the first week and the chicks scratch it up and turn it into a dirt bath. They are so cute when they first start bathing! 😊
awesome! Don’t dress it, you’re chickens sound healthy and happy!
 
So, with a heat plate, you can just raise it up to the next setting. I usually just raise the front by one notch and leave the back so the plate is tilted and they can choose how much heat they want.
For the grit, I just leave a small bowl in the brooder. They will probably dump it, but then they can eat off the floor too.
Once they are a week old and have grit, go ahead and put the pine shavings in. They will eat some, but don't worry about it.
I put in a small square of grass after the first week and the chicks scratch it up and turn it into a dirt bath. They are so cute when they first start bathing! 😊
Thanks! I'll start doing a small bowl of grit. Or I assume I can mix it into the chick starter?
I love the idea of a patch of grass! Its just starting to grow here. I wonder if they can dust bath in good old regular yard dirt at this age.
 

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