Best Bedding for Brooder?

[Isaac 0]

@MasterOfClucker So if they do eat a wood shaving, but they have grit, they should be fine? Sorry to be bothersome, but I just don't want to start off with a mistake Also, how often do you change the litter? I am going to probably have 12 chicks in one big brooder.

They will be fine.I have some broody hen raised chicks outside right now and they eat all sorts of stuff.Its only there natural instinct to scratch around and eat stuff.They will be much happier in wood chips than in a paper towel.

 

[snow5164]

Why do I always do something different??
I use paper towels for the first week, just so they can eat everything that's on the ground, then I use sand in my brooder ,
I start them in a small corner of it on an inch or less of sand . I scoop poop if it becomes messy , but let's face it their poop is really small at that age and the sand dries it out . They love scratching in the sand and theres nothing cuter then a very tiny chick " dust bathing!!"

 

[rjohns39]

Thank you all for replying! I have been sick today (migraine ), so I just checked this thread. I might switch to sand later, and I have some rubberized shelf liner on standby. Do you guys put anything under the liner, to make it more soft and "bedding" like? (One of my weirdest questions, gotta start somewhere I guess )

If the bedding is really wet I'll add some pdz. I don't change bedding between batches of birds, instead I just add more bedding. I have a friend who after long analysis discovered he was killing off good bacteria by disinfecting his brooder, but not getting all of the bad.

 

[dunnmom]

It's not necessary for the floor to be soft. If you want them to have a soft spot but not use shavings, you could put in a folded dish or hand towel. They will poop all over it, of course, but it will wash fine if you get the big chunks knocked off. My mom uses papertowels on top of newspaper, and a microfiber towel for a "bed", and that's what I plan to try next time I need to brood. It seems cleaner and easier to manage than the shavings were.

 

[MjsChickens]

@Ayam onthe Farm I have never had guineas, but we do have tons of land and the perfect environment. Honestly, I have heard tons about their flightiness and noise issues, but even though they sound terrible pets I am only keeping them for tick control (lone star). They are the only things that might help stop ticks without chemicals. I am willing to make the trade off for loud and skittish guineas than getting 40 ticks on me when I walk outside

 

[dunnmom]

Don't get me wrong, I'm not knocking the merits of pine shavings. I used them with success as many others have. The main issue I had with the shavings was keeping it dry. My chicks would nearly bury their waterer in shavings every day, sometimes twice a day. Not only were they not getting their water until I changed it out, but it caused it to leak out into the surrounding bedding. Flies and gnats really liked that stinky wet bedding. It wasn't something I felt comfortable leaving that way, so I was constantly fussing with it. My chicks turned out perfectly fine, though. Chickens aren't as picky (or OCD in my case) as us humans about their living quarters.

 

[Coturnix Quail]

I used pine and it was my first time ever. They did pick at it here and there, but they turned out to be fine. I just put some paper towels over the shavings for a few days, but like other people, I started having problems with my water. No matter what I did, they would always end up kicking pine shavings in, but to make it even worse, the pine shavings would transfer water from one and other and make the whole brooder wet!! That was a pain, but after I slipped them in the coop, I barely have to deal with pine unless it's in the actual coop, not the run. (I just put them in the coop so they still have grass, but when it gets dirty I'm going to use sand.) Hope this helps!

 

[NorthTexasWink]

In all honesty, I'd say the BEST bedding for YOUR brooder is whatever keeps YOUR chicks clean, dry, warm, and safe. Affordability and availability are also very important. Easy cleaning and sweet(er than ammonia) smelling is a big plus. Environmentally friendly is another bonus, including the ability to reuse it several times.

In short, whatever works for you the best is YOUR best brooder substrate.

 

[Bluechick2u]

Thank you! That was Saffron, my favorite naked neck, she sadly didn't survive the harsh winter last year. I saw the roller grate over the paint pan trick on utube for keeping baby ducks from turning a brooder into a cesspit,

. Homesteady has alot of cool posts for chickens, ducks, etc. I just needed a universal brooder for all birdie babies, his idea worked for me.

 

[Mattemma]

I like the small bags of pine shavings sold at Walmart for $2.78. Very soft.No dust. Used day one. I put out chick grit this year as I have a mama hen in with 7 chicks scratching away.