Brooder question

[Snoozeys]

I am in the process of building a brooder box... so what is best to use in the bottom of it.. the options seem to be straw, hay, newspaper and i even saw a suggestion of kitty litter ! So what is the general consensus as to what does the best job ??

 

[justplainbatty]

I am in the process of building a brooder box... so what is best to use in the bottom of it.. the options seem to be straw, hay, newspaper and i even saw a suggestion of kitty litter ! So what is the general consensus as to what does the best job ??

None of the above! Use pine shavings covered with paper towels or folded up bath towels for the first two weeks. After that, pine shavings (the large curl not the thin kind) at least until they go to their big coop. Cat litter is just wrong, not healthy or comfortable at all. Straw and hay are dusty and the long strands can choke even an adult chicken if they eat it. News paper is very slippery and can cause slipped tendon and other leg problems. If you have no choice but to use straw or hay, make sure it is not moldy and put chick grit or at least river sand in the brooder to help them digest it if they eat it.

 

[Snoozeys]

12L hemp bedding

Bedding is an important part of a rodents’ housing. The wrong type of bedding may cause respiratory illnesses as they contain excess oils and aromas that rodents and other small animals cannot be exposed to for long periods of time.

First of all, the acids given off by pine and cedar are damaging to the respiratory tract, making your pet susceptible to respiratory infections.

Secondly, components of cedar and pine (phenols), which give them their ‘fresh’ scents, are toxic, causing the rat's liver to work overtime to cope with them. This can lead to constant stress on the rat's system, and problems with the immune system. It can also affect the absorption of medicines given 
to treat other problems. (This also applies to mice, rabbits, guinea pigs and other small pets).

Mini-Hemp

, hemp bedding is most definitely a safe bedding option for rats and mice. Hemp has natural oil that contains insect repellants and will prevent the hosting of mites. However, if your bedding is already infested with mites you could spray the bedding with diluted tea tree oil or eucalyptus oil as either of this will kill mites.