3 day old chicks eaten hemp core bedding

[fletchkatie]

Hello - we have 14 x 3 day old chicks In our brooder - I had them on Aubiose bedding (hemp core) for a day and a half before I realised we were meant to cover it over. I’ve now covered it with kitchen paper but they have eaten quite a lot of the bedding and most of them have very large crops. They seem to be pooing fine and are eating and drinking their chick crumb & water now, though try to scratch up the paper and eat any scraps of the bedding too. I’m worried about their full crops - they are very big. I think the crops went down this morning but not totally empty (though I checked them after they’d been awake for a couple of hours). Any ways to help/ words of reassurance or doom from anyone who has experienced this before...? They are very precious chicks so really hoping they are ok...

 

[THEChIcKeNwhisperer354]

From what I've read it shouldn't hurt them. Im not sure if this is true though. Change there bedding to wood chips. Hemp core bedding if usally made for horses and some pet rodents good luck.

 

[Omgbrii]

I changed from pine savings to hemp at 1 week. They did eat the fibers and their crops got big and hard, but I provided some starter grit in their crumble and it helped them process it. Now they don’t eat it as much since they are used to it.

 

[fletchkatie]

Thank you - I covered the bedding for a few days with kitchen towel and then removed it again - they still eat the bedding a bit but much less and they are all growing well and healthily .

 

[Omgbrii]

Thank you - I covered the bedding for a few days with kitchen towel and then removed it again - they still eat the bedding a bit but much less and they are all growing well and healthily .

I have newly hatched floofs on puppy pads as well right now and am planning to switch them to pine at 1 week then mix hemp and pine for a little bit. It feel like that works well too

eventually I’ll merge the 2 week olds and hatchlings.