4-week old chicks are eating cardboard in brooder

[Flixflaxnoob]

I have five 4-week old chicks in an XL wire dog crate turned brooder. The inside walls are mostly lined with cardboard. Recently they started pecking at it. They were going really hard at one spot this morning and I caught them actually eating pieces they take off!

I've occasionally been sprinkling a little chick grit in their food for an occasional treat (scrambled eggs once a week) and in case they were eating bits of their pine flake bedding or cardboard.

How harmful is this? How do I stop them?

Are they doing this because they're bored? What other enrichment can I give them? They already have a swing, a large perch/swing, smaller perches, and a mirror.

I am in PA and it's been wet and chilly here, so I haven't brought them outside yet, but hoping to soon as the weather is warming up.

 

[SandyRiverChick]

Hopefully they're lose interest. Can you cover the cardboard with something like a piece of wood? Or strong duct tape like gorilla tape that they can't work on (they'll eat that too if they get frayed ends.) That was smart to give them chick grit. What sort of temps do you have? Mine are out in the coop by now (separated from bigs,) but with a heat source if it's cold.

 

[Flixflaxnoob]

Hopefully they're lose interest. Can you cover the cardboard with something like a piece of wood? Or strong duct tape like gorilla tape that they can't work on (they'll eat that too if they get frayed ends.) That was smart to give them chick grit. What sort of temps do you have? Mine are out in the coop by now (separated from bigs,) but with a heat source if it's cold.

They have since lost interest. It only lasted a few minutes but it happens multiple times a day. I moved the mirror to cover up the cardboard hole they were pecking at so maybe that change itself will also keep things a little interesting for them.

 

[Perris]

Give them a clump of earth from your garden with whatever's growing on it and in it; they are keen to explore their world and a brooder, wood and plastic is not good eating. Some soil and microbiota in it will prime their immune systems for when they do get outdoors. Unless you've been spraying herbicide or pesticide; in that case, don't.

 

[rosemarythyme]

Chicks sometimes get fixated on random things. Small amounts of cardboard shouldn't harm them and they have grit in their system to help break up any random stuff they do intake.

 

[realsis]

My last flock who I still have one hen that's 9 years old, ate paper towels like crazy. I introduced girt like you did and worry myself sick. They all made it just fine. It's not ideal of course but they should be ok. Best wishes

 

[SourRoses]

We once made the mistake of temporarily leaning a sheet of styrofoam for a project against the fence of our "run" for the chick brooder. We came back out to find only one small chunk and a few stray polies left (the tiny white balls).
The chicks had devoured a 2x4 ft, 1/4 inch thick board of it.
We were shocked and worried, but they were all fine.
So try not to worry!