Bedding material for chicks

[marlene]

Hi can you tell me what is best to use for bedding in a brooder, i have chicks due to hatch monday and i'm not sure what is best to get.
Thanks, marlene

 

[Mrs. Fluffy Puffy]

I like to use shelf liner for newly hatch chicks. It helps them get some traction, and helps prevent spraddle legs.

Once they get older I use Pine Shavings.

~ Aspen

 

[peepblessed]

The rubberized shelf liner is great, but I used and old bath towel (make sure no little strings are on it to tangle in toes or get in their throat), absorbant and good traction too. After about 3 days I use the leaf off my alfalfa hay. I shake it off the stems and fill a bucket to carry it to the brooder. They will eat some and its also good feed and it's a natural deoderizer.

 

[marlene]

Hi Aspen, thanks for the reply but what is shelf liner?. Ive not heard of shelf liner here in uk.

 

[Mrs. Fluffy Puffy]

Quote:
Oh, well. Here in the U.S. you can buy this rubber shelf liner. It's meant to line your shelves, kitchen cabinets, etc. I bet you can find some on ebay.com

~ Aspen

 

[mystang89]

They don't peck and try to eat it?

 

[Mrs. Fluffy Puffy]

Quote:
No. Not unless you don't have food in their brooder.

~ Aspen

 

[Achickenwrangler#1]

I tried pine shavings but they seem to try to eat it, I'm back to straw now, they seem to scramble around on it fairly well, though it takes more effort to climb in the straw, they don't confuse it with the pine bark/shavings, I don't use alfalfa at all - it's dusty, it molds quickly and it's not all that good for them to eat, I've read it can cause problems eating too much of it, just plain ole straw.

 

[marlene]

Can sand be used for bedding? i'm sure i've seen a disscusion on here about it been used for chicks.

 

[buffbrahmaboy]

I used a plastic childs pool for a brooder with softwood shavings in the bottom. It worked fine but I had to put an old towel under the litter after a chick slipped a tendon. Pick up all spilled food and they probably won't eat the shavings.