Best Bedding To Be Used With Baby Chicks????

[king4]

I'm using pine shavings for my chicks. There is dust everywhere. Is this coming from the shavings or the chicks themselves?

Thanks,
Carol

i have the same problem and im pretty sure its the shavings

 

[dennymeyrand]

i have the same problem and im pretty sure its the shavings

I'm using pine shavings and have no dust.

 

[Glory Bee]

Hi Denny,
A wire floor is just fine for chicks. Have raised them that way for years. No, it doesn't damage their legs. You want a removable panel frame with hardware cloth affixed to it. That way you can clean it , if need be. Set your hardware cloth floor so it is 1 inch above the shavings. Use kiln-dried hardwood shavings, which have been screened for dust and don't smell like turpentine. They should smell like fresh sawdust. Use 1/4 inch hardware cloth for the 1st 2 weeks. Then switch to a new panel with 1/2 inch hardware cloth for the rest of their time in the brooder.
I do not like sand in a brooder for one reason. It collects heat below the chicks so they are getting heat both from below and above. I have never seen a brooder which utilized heat both above and below. Only seen heat come from above, Like they would get from a hen hovering over them. Reptiles like heat from both above and below, but they are not birds. I was taught to raise my chicks on wire by the esteemed Marans breeder, Kelly Cratty.
Best,
Karen
Waterford English Light Sussex
in western PA, USA

Hi Karen,Thank you for this information. Can you comment on the material you would recommend for the coop floor and run after the chicks are moved out of the brooder?

 

[3riverschick]

Quote: Hi,
Will they still be inside or are you moving them to a grow-out pen outside. If inside, would use their 1/2 inch hardware cloth flooring or 2 inches of kiln-dried hardwood shavings. If outside, Would put down 3 or 4 inched of coarse river sand. Or crushed limestone. Both help them from getting dirt stains on their feathers. The crushed limestone has the added benefit of making the yard ground inhospitable to (was it insects or pathogens?) I forget which. But it has to do with the mineral leaching out of the limestone. Also read in a vintage book that the limestone helps the shell hardness if the chickens eat it. Now I don't have a reference handy right now for either of these last 2 statements. However, I am pretty sure I am correct. I believe I was researching : Limestone poultry yards : in Google Books when I ran across the information. I would go there and look it up to read it for yourself. I am sure enough that, depending on the budget at the time, when I refloor my poultry yards, I will be using either the river sand or the crushed limestone. That will help keep my Light Sussex clean.
Best,
Karen

 

[Glory Bee]

Hi,
Will they still be inside or are you moving them to a grow-out pen outside. If inside, would use their 1/2 inch hardware cloth flooring or 2 inches of kiln-dried hardwood shavings. If outside, Would put down 3 or 4 inched of coarse river sand. Or crushed limestone. Both help them from getting dirt stains on their feathers. The crushed limestone has the added benefit of making the yard ground inhospitable to (was it insects or pathogens?) I forget which. But it has to do with the mineral leaching out of the limestone. Also read in a vintage book that the limestone helps the shell hardness if the chickens eat it. Now I don't have a reference handy right now for either of these last 2 statements. However, I am pretty sure I am correct. I believe I was researching : Limestone poultry yards : in Google Books when I ran across the information. I would go there and look it up to read it for yourself. I am sure enough that, depending on the budget at the time, when I refloor my poultry yards, I will be using either the river sand or the crushed limestone. That will help keep my Light Sussex clean.
Best,
Karen

Thank you,Karen. I'm not sure about all the terminology....lol...but the brooder is 4 x 4 with a hardware cloth floor. This floor is a great thing as it seems much more sanitary. The first two days, I used towels but with so many chicks it quickly became necessary to change them a few times a day. There are 47 chicks. I'm not sure how long they will 'fit' in this space. I do realize they must feather out first.So when necessary, they will be moved inside the chicken house with a 'hover brooder' and heat lamp. I guess I would use the shavings at that time. Will kiln-dried pine shavings work?Perhaps with a layer of sand underneath?

I will opt for the sand and limestone in the covered run. That sounds like a great idea and will help prevent the muddy mess when they are unable to free range.

Do you have opinions about the value of painting the inside of the chicken house? or in insulating the walls if the ceiling is insulated?

Thank you in advance!

 

[Kaela23]

I have 8 baby chicks that have been in a cage with newspaper on the bottom. Now I moved them into a round portable fireplace that makes a great baby chicken coop. Since I have them in the backroom - I clean the cage twice a day. These chicks are 3 weeks old now. I put a little pine shavings in today - but it seems that they are eating the shavings! At Tractor Supply, all the chicks are on shavings... If they eat the shavings, is it bad?

Also, at what age should I move the cage into the chicken coop to start the introduction process to my 6 mature hens?
Thanks,
Kaela

 

[BScott03]

Right now I have pine shavings but I'm REALLY wanting to make the transition to sand. It sounds amazing

 

[Sharon Bee]

I've put down newspapers with pine shavings overtop. I hope this is ok. Getting mine TOMORROW! 10 of them.

 

[mithious]

Hi, I am getting hatchery chicks in less than two weeks...the garden and tracker store told me not to use hardwood shavings I just got a couple garbage bags full of mixed cedar and hardwood shavings for free at the local mill...it smells fine...like sawdust...no chemical smell, plus the mill only cuts logs not lumber...am now wondering if I can use this as bedding? Was going to put it in my cardboard box with the heat lamp on to make sure it's dry, as we have had a bit of rain and when I got it, it was a bit moist but drying nicely in the open trash bags in the sun. It's been 20 years since I've done this and we always just went to the mill and got sawdust for them...not the shavings even...soooo, can I use this for bedding? I am a shoestring chicken Mom Thanks for any answers Laurie

 

[king4]

Hi, I am getting hatchery chicks in less than two weeks...the garden and tracker store told me not to use hardwood shavings I just got a couple garbage bags full of mixed cedar and hardwood shavings for free at the local mill...it smells fine...like sawdust...no chemical smell, plus the mill only cuts logs not lumber...am now wondering if I can use this as bedding? Was going to put it in my cardboard box with the heat lamp on to make sure it's dry, as we have had a bit of rain and when I got it, it was a bit moist but drying nicely in the open trash bags in the sun. It's been 20 years since I've done this and we always just went to the mill and got sawdust for them...not the shavings even...soooo, can I use this for bedding? I am a shoestring chicken Mom Thanks for any answers Laurie

Pine shaving are fine in my opinion,I used them in the brooder and now in the coop. From what Ive heard the cedar shavings do or can cause breathing problems for your little ones so I wouldnt recommend useing the cedar.