Poop attack

[Dudududu]

Are my baby chicks sick? Everyday I have to clean my little cardboard box because they are Up to their beaks in crap should they be pooping this much? Any tips on how to to make it so the entire floor of the box isn’t covered in poop?

 

[Huntmaster]

Sounds like your brooder box is too small but yes, they are eating and pooping machines. How many chicks do you have and what is the size of your box?

 

[Dudududu]

I only have two chicks in a 2 and a half by 1 and a half box (I think)

 

[Pipica]

Lol, welcome to the chicks brooder maid service. First week I line up brooder with puppy pads. That is plenty of time for them to learn their As and Bs . Afterwards shavings are more then suitable. Bonus unsolicited advice … you still have to clean,

 

[Dudududu]

Lol, welcome to the chicks brooder maid service. First week I line up brooder with puppy pads. That is plenty of time for them to learn their As and Bs . Afterwards shavings are more then suitable. Bonus unsolicited advice … you still have to clean,

Dammit LOL

 

[Pipica]

Dammit LOL

You are welcome

 

[LorryElizabeth]

Lol, welcome to the chicks brooder maid service. First week I line up brooder with puppy pads. That is plenty of time for them to learn their As and Bs . Afterwards shavings are more then suitable. Bonus unsolicited advice … you still have to clean,

@Pipica I just transitioned our three baby chicks from puppy pads and paper towels to pine shavings. They are in a medium-size puppy pen (45" in diameter) with puppy pads covered by about 2"-3" of the pine shavings. How often do you suggest I clean? I'm still constantly wiping of surfaces they stand on, such as the top of the radiant heater, of course, but I'm not sure how often to change the pine shavings. Thank you!

 

[doomsie]

@Pipica I just transitioned our three baby chicks from puppy pads and paper towels to pine shavings. They are in a medium-size puppy pen (45" in diameter) with puppy pads covered by about 2"-3" of the pine shavings. How often do you suggest I clean? I'm still constantly wiping of surfaces they stand on, such as the top of the radiant heater, of course, but I'm not sure how often to change the pine shavings. Thank you!

I tend to go by look and smell for cleaning, and of course it depends on the size of the brooder and the number of chicks.

I have 22, their brooder is two halves of a thick cardboard Blackstone grill box (quick search tells me it's 40"x28", and we spliced the two halves together, so approximately twice that). We used coarse pine shavings. I cleaned the brooder once every six or seven days. It became very obvious that it needed to be cleaned. The smell changes, the shavings get compressed.

Poo machines, indeed.