chicks scratching and pecking bedding

[JRast]

Hey yall
I was just reading in " Storeys " chicken raising book that when chicks scratch and peck looking for food in the bedding this means they are overcrowded, cant get to the food source and are bored. Further, leads to disease because they end up getting coccidiosis.
I thought it was good they were scratching and looking for food in the pine shaving bedding, but upon reading this im now concerned they shouldn't be...?
Thank you for any shared experience
Jesse

 

[rosemarythyme]

Chickens (chicks included) scratch, it's what they do. Perfectly normal behavior. You see free ranging chickens doing it, hens teaching their babies to do it, etc.

I'd only be concerned if they were eating large amounts of bedding, or digging up and eating food that has gone moldy.

 

[Chicky Lover]

Yes, picking and scratching is perfectly normal. No need to be worried!

 

[EggSighted4Life]

Further, leads to disease because they end up getting coccidiosis.
I thought it was good they were scratching and looking for food in the pine shaving bedding, but upon reading this im now concerned they shouldn't be...?

Hi there, hope you are enjoying BYC!

As stated, chicks scratch and it's normal.

Poo in the water and wet shavings can lead to coccidiosis. BUT if you keep your shaving dry and water poo free... coccidiosis should not become an issue. Coccidia BTW, are in every single chicken poo and become an issue when too many (sporulated ocysts) are ingested... often in warm, humid places like that of a brooder. Over crowding certainly makes it harder for keepers to avoid conditions conducive to coccidia...

If your chicks aren't under quarantine for Marek's vaccine or the like.. bring in a shovel or dish full of dirt.. grass, roots and all (chemical free only). They will play king of the mountain after they predator shrill at it for a moment. And eventually dirt bathe... also get a natural source of grit, AND build up some immunity to the things in your soil before going out full time.