Wood/Pine Pellets for Chicks?

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eponagirl

eponagirl

Songster
10 Years
Mar 10, 2009
248
23
121
Quiet Corner, CT
I have read a few posts here on BYC about people who are using pellets for bedding. My questions are:
How soon do you use them for chicks...won't it bother their feet and be wobbly for them?

Are there any drawbacks? I am trying to keep the dust level down while they are in the house (day 2 now, so still have awhile inside).

We have shavings ready to use, but are still using paper towels (again, it's only day 2) and I am concerned about them eating the shavings and found the posts about pellets.

Do you need to remove them frequently to prevent cocci or is stirring it up everyday all that is needed?

Any other comments welcome too!
 
I am currently using wood pellets for my 20 little ones. hope this is helpful...

How soon do you use them for chicks...won't it bother their feet and be wobbly for them?

I put them down before they came, sprayed the pellets a little with water (to fluff them out a little) and then put paper towels down for the first few days. To make it not wobbly--make it about 2" deep. This makes it soft--not wobbly.

Are there any drawbacks? I am trying to keep the dust level down while they are in the house (day 2 now, so still have awhile inside).

drawbacks....I can't say there is anything that bothers me about them. To keep them fluffy, i use a spade to mix them around while I take care of the food and water every morning. This mixes in the poo, and helps the pellets absorb the moisture, plus it makes them more fluffy. =]

Do you need to remove them frequently to prevent cocci or is stirring it up everyday all that is needed?

I have only changed my pellets once in the 2 weeks I have had my chicks, and that was bc I knocked over the water. That's all I know regarding this issue. I keep an eye and nose on the smell, and if the floor looks dirty. So far so good.

All in all I love the pellets. They aren't very dusty, they are convenient, and they have been controlling the smell with no issue.

Hope this answers your questions.​
 
I use pellets. Theyre dusty- as opposed to not dusty. Its not like they make so much dust that you're sucking it in with every breath. you just want to wipe stuff doen and vacuum every few days.

I made the mistake of leaving my brooder ni a small room and didnt do anythign with it for three weeks- that room was TRASHED with dust, but the deal is that the longer the pellets are in sawdust form the easier the dust moves about.

I usually put paper down on the pellets the first three days.

The pellets are not tasty. the chicks might peck at them, our ducks actually swallow a few, but they dont actually eat them. not even when theyre dusty. THey do dust bathe in them a lot which is what causes the airborn dust issue.

we've never used anything but pellets i nthe coop. I would NEVER use anything else. Ever.

I dont do anything with my pellets. I change them out once a week or so, once theyre in the cardboard brooder i dont change it at all for about three weeks.
 
Great, thanks!!

How much do you spray them...until they "just" break apart or until they are really broken down to a sawdust form...that is what they break down too, right??
 
just pour on a little bit of water (say....a quart over a 4 x 4 area that is about 2" deep) and mix it up. walk away for a few minutes, and when you come back....poof! literally!
I think the reason I don't have so much dust is bc I don't wet it to the point where it is totally sawdust. I just wet the top layer and mix it up. I prefer it to be deeper and less saw-dusty than to have a thin layer of sawdust.
Of course, this could all change when they start really dustbathing in the next few days....
 

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