Bedding options

[flying_babyb]

What options do I have other than wood shavings? What are the pros and cons of other types? What works best for you? Ive been using wood shavings from the start but my goodness, ITS A MESS! Were sweeping 4 to 5 times a day and still tracking it all over the house and to work. Time for a change!

 

[CowgirlPenny]

How is it getting out of your brooder that you need to sweep it? Are you using a rabbit cage or something? If so, consider adding cardboard in so they can't kick it out.


Other choices would be sand, paper towels.

 

[flying_babyb]

How well does sand work? We have a rabbit cage with cardboard around the edges (and some very good kickers LOL).

 

[CowgirlPenny]

I had to cover my rabbit cage ALL the way around. Mine has a door on the top so that helps.

I can't speak as to how sand works in a brooder (but I've seen lots use it) I use general sand in my chicken run outside and love it. You can also try straw. Its much bigger and probably wouldnt slip between the bars

 

[flying_babyb]

Our cage has a front door which flips inward (whoever designed this sure didnt have little chicks in mind LOL). Im thinking of switching to sand tommrow night since we have sand in the house already (for the cat boxes). Hoping my chicks like it.

 

[OkChickens]

I use watermelon bins for my brooder with about an inch of pine wood shavings on the floor and I has worked great!

Nate

 

[birds4me]

I use shredded news paper and love it. Seriously I just run our already read newspaper, magazines, junk mail, etc through our paper shredder and use the shreddings. MUCH less dusty!!!!! The babies seem to love it since it is soft and fluffy & they don't try and eat it!!!!!

IMO it seems to help on the "birdy smell" as well. I have been using this for months and have not had any problems at all.

 

[Reyvaughn]

I am using sand and I hate it! I was told it didn't stink and it was easier to clean. Maybe I messed up when I got play sand instead of the all purpose sand, but the dust is HORRID! My porch is coated with a layer of dust in less than an hour of my cleaning it all off and sweeping the floor. Sadly, I can not change it now - I have 300lbs of it in my 6x4' brooder. Also, it still stinks and I had to go buy a $10 reptile poop scoop to clean it. I am sure some screen over my horse poop scoop would have been cheaper and much easier to use... Still. I would love to go back to the shavings after this!

 

[pattgal]

If I had a shredder I would do what birds4me is doing. that would make it so much easier and would be much cheaper than shavings
What I do is put my cage in a tall box. it's the only way. the door to my cage is on the side so I don't attach the cage to the base. that way when it's time to top up their food I just take off the cage from the base and make sure no one gets caught when I put it back.
I have a hamster and it's the same way. Imagine a bunch of chicks that scratch around haha.
I wish I still had my aquarium.

 

[Want Less]

For the first week or so we use sheets of newspaper with a layer of window screening over it for traction (the soft flexible kind, not the old wire kind). Super easy to clean up. After that we switch to shavings, but our brooder is a 55 gallon fish tank in our living room so they can't kick stuff out.

I like the shredded newspaper comment mentioned above if youre not able to cover the sides of your brooder so they can't make such a mess.