Alternative Brooder Bedding Ideas?

[Tala]

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They really don't seem to mind.
You can get the horse stall pine pellets, or the woodstove kind. At TSC this winter the stove kind were actually about 60cents cheaper, but of course they only have them in the wintertime.

I use them both in my brooder and in my adult coop and I'll never go back to shavings again!!!! The chickens like to dustbath in the sawdust that the pellets break down into. Plus the sawdust is very "springy" to walk on and I've had an egg laid from the roost not crack when it landed on the sawdust bedding.

 

[mlowarren]

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I use a plastic swimming pool as a brooder, and I haven't had any problems so far! I've only raised Silkies in it though, so I don't know if it would work as well for large fowl.

 

[cherylcohen]

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I use a plastic swimming pool as a brooder, and I haven't had any problems so far! I've only raised Silkies in it though, so I don't know if it would work as well for large fowl.

how long do you keep them in there? 6 weeks? I assume it's inside?

 

[Hecate]

Organic potting soil mix with no fertilizer/chemicals. It has worked really well for us every time. Don't know if I will use it this year with ducklings - we'll have to see how sloppy they are.

 

[nop169]

We have used it all in times past - but what I use most now is rabbit pellets. Started using them because of shaving & sand blockage in some pheasants we were raising & continued with ducklings - works well - absorbs well & gives the chicks/ducklings something green to eat when the pellets break down around the water dish.

 

[mlowarren]

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I use a plastic swimming pool as a brooder, and I haven't had any problems so far! I've only raised Silkies in it though, so I don't know if it would work as well for large fowl.

how long do you keep them in there? 6 weeks? I assume it's inside?

Yes, it's inside our garage. I kept my first batch of chicks in there (with play sand as bedding) for about 6-8 weeks, and they did great. I already have it set up and ready for my next batch which is shipping from Cackle on Monday

This time I mixed the play sand with a bout 1/4 as much starter grit (will all be covered with paper towels for the first few days) so we will see how that works out.

I'm so excited about baby chick season!!

 

[cherylcohen]

Did the hen stay in the swimming pool with the chicks?

 

[mlowarren]

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No. I bought them as chicks and put a heat lamp over one side of the pool. It gave them plenty of room to get as much under or away from the heat as they wanted.

 

[Knock Kneed Hen]

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No, it's not astro turf. It is more like a thick felt.

 

[mylilchix]

I siwtched to wood pellets yesterday and LOVE it! They smell really good, and there's no dust mess. The chicks are in the dining room, so I'd prefer to have them in a cleaner area. So far so good, I'm also planning on using these in my bantam coop. With the constant snow/melt/snow/melt we've been having lately my pine bedding is getting wet and yucky very fast. I'm hoping the pellets will combat that issue. Ugh!! Thanks for tipping me off to the pellets!!

Sonja