Who says cedar is bad for chickens???

[Dmay530]

Ok- how about redwood shavings?

 

[BamaBees]

Hmmmmm note to self, get those cedar shavings out of the coop tomorrow...

 

[Star and eclipsa]

Is a coop made out of cedar bad for them?

 

[Rusty Roosterman]

I use grass clipping when I mow the front yard dump the clippings in the coop, my coop is 8 x 10 chain link on two sides and I misappropriated the chicken picture

 

[Jonidoodle]

Use sand in the run and pdz in the coop.you can add bedding in the winter over the pdz for more warmth. This works great.

 

[Hidden Ridge Farms]

I have just wondered on this post after googling and trying to explain to a friend about the dangers behind cedar bedding with chickens. I use pine shavings. BUT, my coop is HUGE. It is 10x10 with over 6' tall walls, has bird mouth trusses that allow ventilation, a window, and 2 gable vents. I am not worried about it getting cold in there, but I know for a fact good ventilation is a must with chickens to ensure they do not get respiratory distress due to the typical tight quarters of most coops. Prior to building this coop, I only had 6 chickens and a much, much smaller coop. I didn't use any bedding in it at all except the egg boxes, which only had straw. It had a piece of 1/2" plywood on the floor that was removeable where I could take it out and scrape off the droppings about once a week. When I decided to grow my flock to 30+ chickens, I built this much larger coop. Knowing the typical wind direction also had a bearing on construction as I have the gable ends set up to where there is always a breeze blowing through the coop. Now, would I use cedar shavings still? Absolutely not! But, the pine shavings after a year are doing great. If they smell stronger than normal, I simply leave the bag open in the sun for a few days prior to putting it down in the coop. I use the deep litter method, so I only clean the coop once or twice a year, pending on how many chickens I have during that time. I just keep adding more shavings. The beauty of the deep litter method is that I get mostly already-composted material when it is time to clean the coop.

 

[Tired_Yeti]

Pine shavings are just as toxic to chickens. But NO ONE ever points that out. Any aromatic softwood shaving is unhealthy for your chooks.

There is strong scientific evidence that pine and cedar shavings are harmful to their health. Both these softwood shavings give off aromatic hydrocarbons (phenols) and acids that are toxic. The phenols, which give the shavings their scent, are the reason that cedar repels fleas and moths and why pine-oil is the major ingredient in Pine-sol brand disinfectant. In the laboratory, autoclaved pine and cedar shavings have been shown to inhibit the growth of micro-organisms. When animals are exposed to softwood shavings the aromatic hydrocarbons are absorbed through the respiratory tract and enter the blood.



The acids given off by pine and cedar shavings are very damaging to the respiratory tract. These acids can actually destroy cells that line the lungs and trachea. For a complete summary of the respiratory toxicity of pine shavings, go to Respiratory toxicity of cedar and pine wood.

Pine and cedar toxins also affect humans and other animals. People who work in cedar and pine sawmills have a much higher incidence of asthma compared to workers in other dusty environments or those without any dust exposure. Another study found that chickens kept on softwood (pine or cedar) shavings had a higher incidence of respiratory infections.

Pine and cedar toxins affect more than the respiratory tract. Several studies have shown that rodents kept on softwood beddings have elevated levels of liver enzymes. The liver is the body's detoxification system, and elevated liver enzymes indicate that the body is working harder to eliminate toxins. In mice these enzymes started rising after only 24 hours exposure to cedar shavings and only returned to normal when the mice were away from the shavings for 12 days. If pine or cedar shavings are heat-treated or soaked in a solvent, so that some of the phenols are removed, the effects are not as great, but still occur.

One study showed that the mortality of rat pups raised on cedar shavings was tremendously high compared to rat pups raised on corn cob or aspen shavings. Of the pups raised on cedar shavings, 56% were dead by 2 weeks of age, while only 0.01% of the pups raised on the other beddings died. The cedar-raised pups also weighed about 23% less than the other pups.

Exposure to toxins is a stress on the body and constant stress can result in depressed or altered immune function. A study done in 1991 found that mice kept on pine shavings for only a month had a more highly reactive immune response. Mice kept on pine shavings for 8 months developed abnormally enlarged livers. This same study found that mice housed on pine shavings also had a decrease in reproduction rate. When given free choice of beddings, rats and mice reject pine and cedar shavings in favor of any other type of beddings.

There are also other dangers from softwood shavings. A study found that people in the woodworking industry who are exposed to softwood dust have a higher incidence of squamous cell cancers of the respiratory tract. A German study found that workers exposed to pine dust had more than a three-fold increased risk of glottal cancer.

Lots of “one study showed” about this or that study, but no links to any. Not a single one. Can you cite any sources or reference any scientific evidence for your claims about wood oils? I’m aware of aromatic hydrocarbons as I have one college degree in fire protection (which includes studies of hazardous materials), and I’m currently a nurse so I prefer evidence-based, research-verified data. Can you provide any links to any of it?