all juveniles drop dead in less than 24 hours

[CMV]

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Please excuse my ignorance, but chickens would be allergic to shavings? Please educate me.....

Cedar shavings are very toxic to small animals. They were used inside the home for rabbits', hamsters' and guinea pigs' cages because they smell nice, but it was soon discovered that these small pets were dying of liver failure at a high rate, much higher than normal. Testing indicated that the cedar shavings were to blame. Cedar shavings contain a chemical that is toxic if ingested. Chickens are not so apt to eat their bedding as rabbits, hamsters and guinea pigs, so cedar continued to be used with them, but death rates for birds raised on cedar was much higher than normal. Come to find out this chemical not only can be ingested through the shavings, but also aerosolizes and can kill through absorption via the respiratory tract. It also easily rubs off onto the feathers of birds and can be ingested through preening. It has been proven itself to be so very toxic that cedar shavings are not used in small animal keeping anymore ever.

Hope this helps.