When to intro outside dirt?

[csaylorchickens]

I remember reading a few things about getting a big chunk of dirt from the outside putting it in the brooder for multiple reasons. One is the chicks get the good bacteria in their tummies and two it keeps them from picking on each other and keeping them from boredom. At what age can I put a lot of dirt in the brooder?

 

[azygous]

The window for building immunities is in the first two weeks after hatching. But the chicks benefit anytime from having dirt and grass to mess with.

 

[Jensownzoo]

The window for building immunities is in the first two weeks after hatching. But the chicks benefit anytime from having dirt and grass to mess with.

Reasoning behind this?

 

[littlelune810]

I remember reading a few things about getting a big chunk of dirt from the outside putting it in the brooder for multiple reasons. One is the chicks get the good bacteria in their tummies and two it keeps them from picking on each other and keeping them from boredom. At what age can I put a lot of dirt in the brooder?

I started doing this with my 6 chicks when they were about a week old. They love it, especially if you get a good chunk with some worms in it.

 

[csaylorchickens]

I started doing this with my 6 chicks when they were about a week old. They love it, especially if you get a good chunk with some worms in it.

A did you havery grit or small pebbles for them too

 

[Pork Pie]

Quote:
I'd suggest its to help expose and build up immunities to microscopic organisms in the soil as well as provide a source of grit. I let my chicks out with momma at two days old, so they are they benefit from both. Chicks don't need grit if they are out and about in the garden.

CT

 

[lazy gardener]

Reasoning behind this?

A chick who is broody hatched is out running around in the chicken yard by the time she is 48 hours old. She is snacking on soil and chicken poop among other things. In the animal world, feces from the adults are often eaten by the youngsters to inoculate their guts with the natural flora that helps develop a strong digestive system and immunity. As Azygous said, the chick's natural immunity is strongest in the first 2 weeks, so that is the most sensible time to be working on fostering that natural immunity. If chicks are kept in an artificial brooder situation and never allowed exposure to soils and the "barnyard" stuff until they are weaned from heat, that window of opportunity is passed.

A did you havery grit or small pebbles for them too

Most soils will have grit or pebbles, unless you are in a very sandy area.

 

[littlelune810]

A did you havery grit or small pebbles for them too

Yes I give them chick grit mixed in with their food and I also sprinkledbthe grit over the dirt/grass clump for them to scratch at. Really though the soil from our yard has quite a bit of small grit and sand in it already.

 

[Jensownzoo]

 As Azygous said, the chick's natural immunity is strongest in the first 2 weeks, so that is the most sensible time to be working on fostering that natural immunity.

Sort of? The immunity that a chick has initially isn't its own, but passively transfered via the egg from the hen ("maternal antibodies"). They're much shorter-lived than mammalian ones, so these initial antibodies are pretty much undetectable by two weeks old. Increasing exposure to pathogens during this period has both good and bad consequences: Good because since the maternal antibodies will "block" most of the pathogens, only a very small number will get through to the chick's own immune system, where they can be grabbed by macrophages and taken to the B-cells to "learn" the pathogen and start the process of making its own antibodies against it. Bad because those maternal antibodies aren't replenishable, so if the challenge is too high all of them will be used up and the chick will be vulnerable to disease (there is a lag between the presentation of the antigen to the B-cell and the initial production of antibodies...roughly 5 days or so).

And here's another wrinkle that I just learned about! The B-cells originate in an organ called the Bursa of Fabricius. When the chick hatches, these B-cells are undifferentiated...basically blank slates. While in the bursa, they undergo a process called gene conversion to produce the diversity of antibody-producing types needed to protect the chick. This can happen without the stimulation of outside pathogen presentation, but it boosts the diversity TREMENDOUSLY if these cells are exposed to external antigens. Two critical points of timing for this: you get the most diversity before the chick is 6-10 weeks old, and the bursa basically closes up shop around 6 months, sending any remaining B-cells out into the body.

The upshot is (and returning to the original thread topic) that giving them the chunk of sod before they are 6 weeks old is a good idea immunologically. There may be special protections for doing it before 2 weeks old, but you may open them up to other things so...six of one, half-a-dozen of the other...

 

[csaylorchickens]

Sort of? The immunity that a chick has initially isn't its own, but passively transfered via the egg from the hen ("maternal antibodies"). They're much shorter-lived than mammalian ones, so these initial antibodies are pretty much undetectable by two weeks old. Increasing exposure to pathogens during this period has both good and bad consequences: Good because since the maternal antibodies will "block" most of the pathogens, only a very small number will get through to the chick's own immune system, where they can be grabbed by macrophages and taken to the B-cells to "learn" the pathogen and start the process of making its own antibodies against it. Bad because those maternal antibodies aren't replenishable, so if the challenge is too high all of them will be used up and the chick will be vulnerable to disease (there is a lag between the presentation of the antigen to the B-cell and the initial production of antibodies...roughly 5 days or so).

And here's another wrinkle that I just learned about! The B-cells originate in an organ called the Bursa of Fabricius. When the chick hatches, these B-cells are undifferentiated...basically blank slates. While in the bursa, they undergo a process called gene conversion to produce the diversity of antibody-producing types needed to protect the chick. This can happen without the stimulation of outside pathogen presentation, but it boosts the diversity TREMENDOUSLY if these cells are exposed to external antigens. Two critical points of timing for this: you get the most diversity before the chick is 6-10 weeks old, and the bursa basically closes up shop around 6 months, sending any remaining B-cells out into the body.

The upshot is (and returning to the original thread topic) that giving them the chunk of sod before they are 6 weeks old is a good idea immunologically. There may be special protections for doing it before 2 weeks old, but you may open them up to other things so...six of one, half-a-dozen of the other...

Thanks for the great info!!