Eating cardboard?

[goldeneggtees]

Hi, I came home from work today and noticed there was cardboard at the bottom of the temporary brooder. It's a huge appliance cardboard box, covered with lots and lots of clean shavings. I also noticed that my chicks food was still quite full. Not an ordinary occurance, mostly it's been gone or almost gone whenever I do check. Any ideas on what I should do - feed grit? They are acting fine and still pecking at their food, I'm just surprised their food wasn't almost gone. Although I did fill it extra today since I knew I wouldn't be home to check.

 

[CityClucks]

They probably tore up the cardboard because it's fun (in destructo chick world). If they're not acting weird and still seem active and interested in their food & water - pooping massively as is usual...they're probably fine.

 

[goldeneggtees]

Quote:
OK, thanks, they are fine in every other way and I have noticed they are eating normally today too!

 

[Godiva]

I made a brooder lined with cardboard because I have oodles of old boxes and I can just remove the cardboard and throw away when that batch of chicks is out. BUT, I found that they think it is VERY entertaining to rip it off and actually eat it! I am sure that one or two little pieces won't be a problem but they were going great guns on it. If your chicks didn't finish their food when you expected them to it means they filled up on cardboard... not good! What I ended up doing was getting an old shower curtain and putting that under the shavings. Obviously they get bored and I wonder if there is some kind of toy (indestructible of course) that you could put in the brooder. Maybe a shiny lid from a jar hanging on a string? Or a bright red ball ... I had a kids necklace (one of thos plastic indestructible things) that I hung on the side of the brooder and some of the chicks spent a lot of time pecking that thing.

HOw old are your chicks? I usually start them with a tiny sprinkle of chick grit added to their feed after the first couple of days. Anything that is not feed will need grit to break it down, so, yes, add grit to their feed. Don't give it separately because they will think it is food and eat too much getting you in all kinds of problems on the other end of the spectrum! Just find a way to cover the areas they are pecking with something that they can't rip off. It needs to be wood or plastic (heavy duty plastic as they will rip thin plastic without much effort!) I hope this is helpful and let us know what happens and what you come up with.