Bedding...what do you use?

[twigg]

Quote:
Chickens won't eat straw.

They might eat hay, in which case they need grit, or risk becoming crop-bound.

 

[airmom1c05]

Premium, large flake pine shavings are not as dusty as some pine shavings.

 

[FutureChickenMan]

Quote:
as the chicks get bigger, start raising the food/water dishes. I put mine up on 2x4's and stack the 2x4's higher and higher as the chicks get older. It helps if you leave the 2x4's long enough that they stick out from under the feed dishes so the smaller chicks can jump up on the 2x4's to get better access to the feed. Before I started doing that I'd have to clean the water dishes out every couple of hours. Now I do it once a day when I fill up the water and food.

 

[ZooMummzy]

Quote:
as the chicks get bigger, start raising the food/water dishes. I put mine up on 2x4's and stack the 2x4's higher and higher as the chicks get older. It helps if you leave the 2x4's long enough that they stick out from under the feed dishes so the smaller chicks can jump up on the 2x4's to get better access to the feed. Before I started doing that I'd have to clean the water dishes out every couple of hours. Now I do it once a day when I fill up the water and food.

Thank you, that is good advice! I'll see what we have in the garage. I've raised the waterer as high as I can for now using large round flat bottom bowls, but it still doesn't work. I'm changing the water every hour!

 

[Gindee77]

What about hanging the feeder and waterer? I don't have my chicks out in the coop yet (and when I do they'll go in a corral) but I put screw eyes in the top cross boards of the coop so I can hang the feeders/waterers. But will this help keep the bedding out of the containers or not?? I suppose it would depend on how low I put them. I've been using 2X4's and they work to a certain degree.

I'm still using pine shavings on my 3 week old chicks but having had a little trouble with my week old chicks and losing one (not sure why...but it could have been crop-bound) I'm going to keep these on the newspaper until they go out in the coop (hopefully this weekend). I'm loving the newspapers tho, no litter in the water and feeder!!

 

[jnjross]

Quote:
yeah that's what i meant hay sorry

 

[conny63malies]

i think of of the disadvantages of straw is the fact that it is hollow inside . a good place for mites and other critters we dont like. I stick with my pine shaving and paper towels

 

[twigg]

Quote:
Mites aren't a problem with straw, it is changed too frequently.

Yeah .... I use pine shavings too

 

[Sugar Sand Farm]

I use old sheets in the brooder I lost a baby duckling and gosling to shavings last year. Terrielacy told me about the sheets and that is what I do now. they are easy to hose off and throw in the washer to clean. i have my brooder all set us but no chicks yet I'm still waiting