Bedding for Interim Brooder

[JLeigh]

I'm in the process of constructing an interim brooder for my six 2 week old keets until they sell. They've been on rubber shelf liner for two weeks, but their toes and nails are getting stuck in it. Time for a different bedding. I've read that at two weeks it's okay to put them on shavings or wheat straw or...??????....I would appreciate opinions on what bedding to use at this age. I need something inexpensive and easy to find in stores - like Tractor Supply. TIA.

 

[PeepsCA]

I use straw, the more coarse it is the better. But I have also used orchard grass hay, with no seeds or small leaves for them to ingest. If you do go with shavings try to get the coarse flake kind so they are least likely to eat them. Do not use cedar shavings at all tho, the tannins can be toxic to keets.

 

[JLeigh]

How would the regular wheat straw from Home Depot be? It's pretty coarse.... I ended up buying a very large rabbit cage for interim brooder #1. It has a "front" door and a top door, so I can have access without the keets running all over me into the great outdoors. I can also move it to the run later, or the coop....but the plan is to get started on a guinea coop, in addition to the chicken coop, that will have a section built in for acclimating everybody to everybody.

No cedar - - got it. Thanks!