Alfalfa pellets as bedding?

[Harmoni]

Currently using pine, but it is so messy and smelly and makes me sneeze. I was thinking about pine pellets but worried they would eat it (they are about 3 weeks old). Anyone use alfalfa pellets? To my knowledge, that is safe to ingest.

 

[Ebony Rose]

Chick grit / course sand would work too, and be a good source of grinding material in their gizzard. Betcha that it would be a lot less expensive than alfalfa pellets too.

 

[Ebony Rose]

Ooof, I just looked at your avatar and see that you're in Central Florida. You're in a great spot to get FREE (at most cheap) rice husks. They're exceptionally lightweight, do not break down easily so they won't turn into a slip-slidey moldy mess, and is totally 'green' friendly. Lay an eight inch or higher bed in their coop and let the chicks/chickens do the work. You can add a sack of this material on top of the bedding if you think it's not getting turned enough. You shouldn't need to totally replace this bedding for a year or more, providing it's getting a daily 'toss' from your flock (or a rake). You help the rice farmer by hauling it away, and he helps your flock. Birds will gladly sift through every last husk in hopes of finding the rare, but occasional grain of rice to gobble up; and this helps turn the 'dirt' under, bringing the clean husks to the top.

 

[NatJ]

Currently using pine, but it is so messy and smelly and makes me sneeze. I was thinking about pine pellets but worried they would eat it (they are about 3 weeks old). Anyone use alfalfa pellets? To my knowledge, that is safe to ingest.

Since your chicks are 3 weeks old, they already know what is good to eat (food, and small bits of bedding just because chickens do that.)

I have never used alfalfa pellets as bedding, but I think they would be fine.

For the pine pellets, I would not worry about the chicks eating them, but I do not think they would be any better than the pine (shavings?) you are currently using. The pellets fall apart into sawdust as soon as they get a little wet, so they can still be dusty and messy. They also smell like pine, although they might be better at absorbing the droppings to reduce that smell.

Are the chicks living in your house? I would move them outside as soon as possible, because then the mess and smell is not in your house. A bigger brooder can also help, because chicken dropping smell worse when they are consolidated in one place, and they smell less when they are spread out in a larger area.

 

[Harmoni]

@Ebony Rose where would I get the rice husks from? I didn't even know there were rice farms in FL. I can't do sand because they are in a baby playpen and the sand would just fly out the sides.

@NatJ they are currently in a baby playpen in my screen room. I plan to move them out as soon as I figure out where I am putting them
I currently have 11 adult hens and 9 juveniles ranging in age from 13-18 weeks out at my coop. Along with 2 juvenile cockerels in their own separate coop.
I have a partition area I can put them in, but I was waiting until they were a little older.

 

[Ebony Rose]

No promises, since I'm an Ex-Floridian... but... check these folks...

https://www.floridacrystalscorp.com/floridas-only-rice-mill