Bedding for Poults

[Lelilamom]

Anyone use wood shaving from a mill or woodworking shop for their birds? I'm hatching out a group and I've always bought the shavings from the feed store. But we started milling/planing our own red oak boards and I have TONS of wood shavings. Anyone know of a reason why I should NOT use the shavings?

 

[R2elk]

Anyone use wood shaving from a mill or woodworking shop for their birds? I'm hatching out a group and I've always bought the shavings from the feed store. But we started milling/planing our own red oak boards and I have TONS of wood shavings. Anyone know of a reason why I should NOT use the shavings?

Wood chips are not advised for the first two weeks. Poults can eat the wood chips. Without appropriate sized grit in their system, they cannot digest them, become plugged up and die.

I live on a sand dune so I use the free sand for the brooder bedding. It has the advantage of the poults being able to see and recognize the starter feed I sprinkle on it as feed. My poults will often start eating within minutes of being placed in the brooder. It can take them several days to learn that the stuff in the feeder is also food.

It is their instinct to hunt for food on the ground.