Chicks eating bedding!

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Anne W

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My chicks are 4 weeks old now and up till beginnig of last week they were still on old towels which I was changing each day. I had tried to get hold of aubiose the week before but my supplier had run out so had to wait till last week to get it. I put aubiose in and the little b****rs ate it!! :o I waited to see if they would stop but after a minute they were really tucking in and any big bits got battered to bits - then they ate them! Worried that it would hurt them I took it out. Off I went again to the agricultural merchant to get some maxibed ( large flakes of shavings) - put them in and they frantically scratched around for the smaller bits and scoffed them too! That was 3 days ago and thank God they are none the worse. I have left a towel covering the middle of the cage to limit the amount of shavings they can get at. They always have ad-lib chick crumbs so they aren't starving but I guess they are following their instinct to scratch around and eat. I think I probably left the towels in too long but I couldn't have known this.

Any ideas , reassurance or advice needed please - I really am worried :?
 
Hello, dont worry about it :) I normally put mine on shavings after about 3 or 4 days- once they know what food is- but they will come to no harm, regards, David :)
 
Thanks David - I will put my new lot on shavings within a few days .
 
hi. i put mine on shavings after a few days, they eat a little but never seems to do them any harm. don't think they eat much just scrap about in it.
 
This is normal for the first few days they should stop after a while. I normally add a little pot of "JonDo flint chick grit" in with them as i find it helps them to break down any shaving that they do eat.
 
Have stopped worrying myself to death as they are still alive and well. They seem to have eaten all the small bits and it hasn't harmed them. So glad to hear it's normal - beginning to think I had done something wrong. Brilliant idea to add grit - will do that - and hopefully they will eat a lot of that too. Thanks for teh reassurance.
 
Hi Anne
Don't worry it is normal, chicks love to scrat about and do eat some of the shavings, they will come to no harm. Have a restful nights sleep :D
 
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