Pine and Cedar shavings are dangerous

[ButchGood]

Dust free Pine Shavings is what I use here in Texas. No problems to report. I really like straw best, But I can't find it here. When I lived in Pennsylvania straw was very cheap and was used for bedding for all the animals and mulch for the garden. If I could find it locally....I'd buy many bales.

 

[bruceha2000]

My guess with this heat they don't need or want that heat lamp. How hot was it in the coop? I am am not sure why you would want to have a heat lamp in the coop with fully feathered chicks especially with as hot as it has been?
Maybe I am misunderstanding your post.

The coop is very airy and in a big old drafty barn. Makes me nervous the kids will get too cold. And the general advice for brooder temp being "If they are huddled under the lamp it is too cold " makes me think they were cold. Maybe they always slept like that in the tub, I don't know. Of course by the time they moved to the coop, there wasn't much space to sleep any other way if they stayed down in the tub

. Could be they were just doing a normal young chicken "hanging with my peeps" thing.

The lamp is on a Repti500 remote sensor thermostat outlet. At $28, it is BY FAR the most expensive part of the brooder. I'm a newbie chicken owner!! I didn't want to kill the chicks by having it too hot or cold. It doesn't have a temp readout (cheap thermometer works for that) and is currently set for 80F (ish). It was 85 yesterday, probably 75 when I checked on them but 67 this morning. Going by the "95 for a week, drop by 5F each week" axiom. I think I can stop worrying in a few days. At this point I call it (relatively cheap) insurance though I am SERIOUSLY into not wasting energy of any sort. That is why it is in an 'mostly enclosed' box. Keep the heat in a SMALL space.

7/8 update. It was 50F this morning, all the chicks were under the lamp in the box. I had it turned to 'low' which I think is about 70F.

 

[shegeekster]

Likewise I have always heard cedar is bad to use for birds due to the aromatic oils. Aspen has always been touted as the safest shaving for animal bedding.

 

[flewdacoop]

i use pine shaving for my chicks in louisiana and have had no problem besides its hard to keep out the water bowl

 

[Kim95037]

I just lost a baby chick and I highly suspect the pine shavings. I had no problems before, but this batch of shavings had a lot of dust in it. Im having a necropsy done on my poor little Sally to find out for sure. Im so bummed out.

 

[omaeve]

the study I read say's if your chickens do not have breathing problems they do have liver problems from kiln dried and reg pine and cedar bedding

 

[Beekissed]

My current flock are going into their 7 th year...must be taking a long time to die of their liver problems.

 

[stonykill]

My current flock are going into their 7 th year...must be taking a long time to die of their liver problems.

6 years on some of my flock. Always been on kiln dried pine shavings. I have a woodworking shop and create all my own bedding. Most times all pine, sometimes a little hardwood mixed in. I have some 6 year old RIR's that have always lived in a coop with pine shavings.
I can run a study to prove chickens can do math. Anyone can run a study to say anything they want. I read all kinds of untrue information on the internet. Anyone can post anything, true or not.

 

[NYREDS]

My oldest bird is an 11 year old Brown Red Old English Game hen. She looks great & still lays a few eggs. I've always used Pine Shavings for bedding. Most everyone I know uses them as well. I'm unconvinced that they're dangerous.

 

[bruceh]

i always raised my chicks on pine shavings in the brooder and in the coop. never had a problem with the shavings. i have even seen some of the new chicks take a bite of it. my birds will dust bath in them. funny site to see, pine chips flying in the air. just another note my layers make a nest of it and lay their eggs right on the coop floor. i think the majority of the layers like to play see my egg with each other.