Alternative Brooder Bedding Ideas?

[MomtoSyd&Emma]

Do you think we could use the woodstove pellets with ducklings? Do you put anything over them to keep them from trying to eat them?

 

[kateseidel]

For those of you using pellets, do you not soak them first? I use them in my horse stalls, but we wet them to fluff them up.

 

[Diannastarr]

I dont like the average kinds of brooder bedding so after the first week i stop using paper towels as bedding & switch over to 2 or 3 inches of solid chick feed as bedding , its better then any other beading since chicks will some times eat bedding other people use & that can make them sick or kill them if they eat it , thats why i use their own chick feed as bedding & if they eat it its ok...HA plus i can also scoop it up when its dirty it clomps up & i scoop it up with a cat box snooper & that helps to keep them clean ..!

 

[3riverschick]

I dont like the average kinds of brooder bedding so after the first week i stop using paper towels as bedding & switch over to 2 or 3 inches of solid chick feed as bedding , its better then any other beading since chicks will some times eat bedding other people use & that can make them sick or kill them if they eat it , thats why i use their own chick feed as bedding & if they eat it its ok...HA plus i can also scoop it up when its dirty it clomps up & i scoop it up with a cat box snooper & that helps to keep them clean ..!

and when it ferments under the heat of the brooder light and the pathogens in the birds poop begin to thrive...and the birds then eat the feed? What then? If your birds are over 1 week old they will be fine with kiln-dried hardwood shavings. The white bale( not the yellow) at Tractor Supply.
Best,
Karen

 

[azygous]

I dont like the average kinds of brooder bedding so after the first week i stop using paper towels as bedding & switch over to 2 or 3 inches of solid chick feed as bedding , its better then any other beading since chicks will some times eat bedding other people use & that can make them sick or kill them if they eat it , thats why i use their own chick feed as bedding & if they eat it its ok...HA plus i can also scoop it up when its dirty it clomps up & i scoop it up with a cat box snooper & that helps to keep them clean ..!

Very. Bad. Idea.

Chicks are notorious for upsetting water bottles, at the very least, sloshing water over their bedding. It wouldn't take much to start a mold culture in the chick feed, and chicks being of very sensitive constitutions, will sicken and die very quickly if they eat only a very tiny bit of mold. Feed molds are neurotoxins - not a nice way to die.

This is in addition to what Karen pointed out about the growth of pathogens in the feed. It would be like a gigantic petri dish.

 

[Diannastarr]

our 30 mixed breed chicks 17 days old doing great on chick feed bedding , no problems chick feed stays dry & easy to pick up with a kitty litter scoop since it clumps similar to kitty litter just do the pick ups every day , Chicks doing great on safe chick feed bedding loving their colorful cereal box toy

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& its easy to get at the feed store HA

Replying to "Alternative Brooder Bedding Ideas, sorry but thats not even close, since this new idea of edible bedding is never left to come to such a state as rotting food as you say, my goodness who would keep chicks in such a state..? only idiots would allow that ..?? a rotting problem you say , but that's not even close if tended to properly like all bedding should..! this new idea of edible bedding is not unlike any other bedding, but for their dangers to chicks which can sicken or kill chicks if eaten all depending on which, its all in how you tend to your chicks keeping them dry & clean chick feed if used like a kitty litter & scooping up what should be taken away or replacing it entirely this has worked for us year after year as a safe bedding until chicks are old enough to go out into their out side grow out pen, all with out risking their life.

 

[theback40]

warm greetings from sunny AZ!

has anyone ever tried coconut coir/husk, etc for the brooder? i am investigating, but haven't found pro's or con's as a chick bedding. i sure love it for my garden!!!

 

[theback40]

after doing some more research, i plan to go with hemp. it won't arrive in time for the new chick delivery, but i will try it and post my 'results'...

 

[Evan W]

I use 1/2" wire, makes cleanup a breeze. It is a little big but will be fine when they get a little bigger. I put paper down for these chicks straight out of the incubator.

 

[Diannastarr]

wow the rabbit pellets & hemp sound like good ideas,i dont know what the hemp might be like..? but i did have rabbits & rabbit pellets & called the company to ask if they were safe for chickens to ingest, yes was their answer, since its made of green plant material like alfafa or what ever bunnies like to eat..? & they do break down when wet so that might be absorbent also..? but must be removed to keep every thing clean & dry, so both those choices sound ok instead of the toxic play sand & wood shaving, but then a few inches of chick feed is what i use, its like kitty litter , you just pick up with a kitty litter scooper what ever needs to be taken away plus we always use the nipple water feeders after the first weeks, we make them out of gator aid type bottles & put the nipples into the cap of the bottles then hang them upside down were the chicks can reach them & they love the nipple water feeders by the way and get right on them so no worries about your chicks not using the nipple water feeders, but the best part is no water spills ever, its just a better way to go when the chicks become the usual unruly bunch who love to jump on top any thing they can , so the hanging nipple water feeders are the best with no spills at all & the water they drink is perfectly clean all the time , we also designed a raised floor that fits inside the used mesh sided play pen we found at the thrift store for $5.00 & as the chicks grow they go in that play pen with a raise floor all sectioned off for different reasons like the mesh flooring in one section used for the water feeding area & the wire mesh we use is made with smaller size holes its called hardware cloth & works good in the water feeding area so any wet goes right out the bottom of the mesh flooring and its all so much easier with this design , but not worth the trouble if you are not raising a few groups of chicks a year , so if its the one time chick brooder you need i recommend a big box from an appliance store like one for a dish washer or refrigerator or that ever, all depending on what size you need , so after the chciks have gone to their grow out pen, the box & all just gets tossed out in the trash no muss no fuss. i use big boxes to brood my chicks i start with a big brooder box for the tiny chicksin the first weeks then its on to the play pen with the sectioned off flooring areas like the area for water feeding. or the solid flooring area is used for a play area filled with bedding , but i do use a giant 16 gallon wet dry vac & that helps to suck away any big bad spots that needs removing from the brooder making sure not to suck up any of the chicks in the process HA