Bedding material for brooder??

[firstimeflocker]

Hi all! This is my second year raising chicks and I have been using pine shavings in my brooder for the chicks. The shavings are comfortable, warm, and smell nice, but it's really annoying for the chicks to kick into the water and the feeder. I'm constantly having to empty it out. Should I just resign myself to my fate or is there something easier to use?
What do you all use in your brooders??

 

[myfarm4579]

I agree cleaning shavings from the waterer is a daily choir I just recently switched my month old chicks to horizontal water nipples. Best thing ever took them bout 5min to figure it out. I think they learned faster than my current flock did. Now they all have clean "shaving" free water. I highly recommended water nipples

 

[ChickenCanoe]

X2 on the nipples. I used to set the water on bricks or pieces of tile that helped a lot. I use nipples for adults but this batch of chicks is the first time with nipples and I'll use them from now on for everyone.
As for food, set it up on something that puts the rim about back high.

 

[GreenLove]

I also use pine shavings, i think they work better than anything else. I went to Lowes or Home Depot and bought a few small square stepping stones when mine were about a week old because I also got tired of replacing the water every few hours because of the shavings. I had the plastic quart feed and water containers at the time and they fit on top of the stones, and it helped a lot. I think they were about 79 cents. Good luck.

 

[firstimeflocker]

I think I've solved my wood chips in the feeder problem at least. As long as the girls don't decide to try sitting on it, it should hold up and it's high enough from the floor that they don't kick much into it!

 

[GreenLove]

Ha!! That's perfect! Good job