sand in brooder?

[688peterl]

would i be able to use sand in the brooder from when they hatch? it would be the same sand i use in my ducks run which is just normal building sand, would that be ok? i could give them straw too to sleep on that ok?

 

[Akane]

Some people use sand. It has it's issues such as not being the most absorbent and they may eat a bunch of it. They will try to eat too much of just about anything though so the risk isn't that much greater. It's also very heavy. I tried it once and decided to stick with shavings in the brooder which I lay paper towels over for the first few days until they are eating their feed well. I would not give straw to chicks. Straw requires lots of effort to digest. It also holds in moisture so your brooder will be soaked quickly especially with sand more just letting moisture fall through it instead of actually absorbing it. Finally straw is slick especially if wet from spilled water and poop and could result in splayed legs if you use much of it.

 

[citalk2much]

I think they would try to eat it. I use aspen shavings with straw on top and have never had any problems with it

 

[JJMR794]

Sand Will Get And Stay Wet--- Wet + Quail Chicks= Bad Mojo! Quail Will Get Damp/ Cold And Die. I Use Paper Towel Or Old Work Rag Towel For The 1st 5-7 Days Then Plain Old..... Dare I Say It? --- Newspaper! And They Do Fine. They Definately Need A Good Grip Surface For The 1st Few Days To Prevent Spraddle Leg.

I'm Sure The Ducks Loved The Sand And Its A Very Good Choice For Them! But Not So Good For Gamebirds--- Quail/ Pheasant/ Partridge...

 

[La Mike]

Sand in brooder??? Very bad, chicks will eat it and not only can kill them from impaction but can cause splay leg too
And it can get moisture dampness which will kill all your chicks
Ducks are tougher than quail in all ways i personnaly would never use any sand or slippery surface in the brooder

MIKE

 

[688peterl]

should i use shavings then? i thought sand was better for them obviously not though lol ps i didnt use sand in the brooder for the ducks i used sheets

 

[Kullas]

I use paper towel for the first 5 to 7 days and then shavings

 

[JJMR794]

I Use Old Rag Towels For The 1st Week--- After That All The Tendons Are Tight In Their Hip Joints And Splay Leg Is No Longer A Problem, So Then I Switch To Newspaper Which Works Quite Well.

 

[Wifezilla]

What about shelf liner (over wire)? I used that in my brooder for the ducks. It was easy to pull out and clean. I kept 2 on rotation.

JJ & Bungie on the liner

 

[canter6]

Personally for coturnix quail. I would do paper towels, cloth towels, shelf liner, in that order. Over 1/2 wire for 1-2 weeks. Then straight to wire.