brooder bedding

[kjorgey]

I don't have textured shelf liner so I'm assuming I can jump straight to newspaper with shavings on top? How thick do you do the shavings in the beginning? I also have puppy oee pads i thought of using for the first week as they would provide foot support as well as make it easy for them to find their food. Does this sound like the right thing? So new to this! Lol

 

[kjorgey]

I'm rather new to this as well, however....what I am doing is working. One layer of newspaper, one layer of paper towels and then a fine layer of wood shavings. You don't need a heavy layer of shavings, because they kick it around. I would put paper towels on top of the newspaper if you have them...but by two weeks, their talons should be gripping well. I keep the side of their brooder area free of shavings where the water and feed are....helps keep them from kicking shavings into the feeding area. But, I will say I go into the room where I keep them 3-4 times a day and use a kitty litter scoop to pick out the poopy bits, clean out their waterer and pick out shavings from the feeder. As part of our evening routine, around 7 pm, after I clean out the entire brooder....Replace everything....I inspect each chick for pasty butt and then I dip their feet into a bowl of warm water and clean and carefully pick off the poop and shavings that have stuck to their feet during the day. Then, I sing to them, yes...I really do that and they settle into the night under the brooder. It is the routine we have established. I don't use a heat lamp, but a brinsea brooder. MUCH safer with shavings. Clean air, clean brooder = healthy chicks, no matter what bedding you choose. I can send pics if you like of my set up.

 

[kjorgey]

One bit of experience I forgot to include. I liked using the paper towels only the first week. Why? because I can assess their poop for abnormalities, easy to clean...three times a day....just roll up...and toss in the compost bin. Now, I am on week two....on top of the textured shelf liner, which I wash down each morning with vinegar solution, I top with the news paper (free) one layer and then the shavings.....Beauty of this now is....the fine pine shavings absorb so much more poop...you just roll up the paper towels and newspaper with the shavings....toss into a bucket which I keep on hand in the bathroom, a broom for clean up, dump out the shavings into the bucket and I wipe down the entire bin with the vinegar solution. What I find with this routine, even though my chicks are in my master bedroom, there is NO smell. I keep the fan going in there and that keeps the air circulating. I also open the window on a nice day when I clean up the area for fresh air. Puppy pads are way too expensive and too much plastic in my opinion. So, I have two huge Tupperware bins...one for the brooder and one I place the chicks in when I clean out the brooder. The chicks at week two seem to love scratching in the pine chips. I use Petco SoPhresh softwood small animal bedding. A little goes a long way. I put a mirror in there that hangs on the wall and they LOVE it...keeps them engaged all day. I also sterilized a branch from the yard to give them practice roosting. They feared it at first, but now love it. Enjoy your chicks. Your natural mother hen instinct will serve you well. Let me know how you make out.






So Phresh Natural Softwood Small Animal Bedding, 8.1 Liters

 

[NewChkinTown]

One bit of experience I forgot to include. I liked using the paper towels only the first week. Why? because I can assess their poop for abnormalities, easy to clean...three times a day....just roll up...and toss in the compost bin. Now, I am on week two....on top of the textured shelf liner, which I wash down each morning with vinegar solution, I top with the news paper (free) one layer and then the shavings.....Beauty of this now is....the fine pine shavings absorb so much more poop...you just roll up the paper towels and newspaper with the shavings....toss into a bucket which I keep on hand in the bathroom, a broom for clean up, dump out the shavings into the bucket and I wipe down the entire bin with the vinegar solution. What I find with this routine, even though my chicks are in my master bedroom, there is NO smell. I keep the fan going in there and that keeps the air circulating. I also open the window on a nice day when I clean up the area for fresh air. Puppy pads are way too expensive and too much plastic in my opinion. So, I have two huge Tupperware bins...one for the brooder and one I place the chicks in when I clean out the brooder. The chicks at week two seem to love scratching in the pine chips. I use Petco SoPhresh softwood small animal bedding. A little goes a long way. I put a mirror in there that hangs on the wall and they LOVE it...keeps them engaged all day. I also sterilized a branch from the yard to give them practice roosting. They feared it at first, but now love it. Enjoy your chicks. Your natural mother hen instinct will serve you well. Let me know how you make out.






So Phresh Natural Softwood Small Animal Bedding, 8.1 Liters

Thanks for all the info!!
I have a bunch of huge puppy pads from potty training my daughter lol (it was easier than changing her mattress cover 5x a night) that's why I have them. So i figured I'll just use them up They are large enough I can cut them in 2 or 3. I have a large tote I'm going to be using and a heat emitter bulb instead of the standard red bulb. I also picked up softwood bedding from TSC today that I think I may use in the coop as well as the brooder
My 5yo made a little perch out of twine and a few branches she found, hopefully they will like that lol. I have lots of newspaper and vinegar as well, so that I should be good there
So nervous about losing them

 

[mag7mm]

I use wood chips, with both chickens and ducks and never had an issue. They may pick at it but they do just fine with it. The reason I like it is you can scoop out wet or poop areas easily and leave a 3 inch deep bedding so the chicks can nestle down together in it. once the chicks are big enough to leave brooder you have excellent fertilizer for the garden.

 

[Staciewoeste]

The main reason to put new born chicks on paper towel is that they sometimes eat the smaller flakes of wood shavings. For the first couple days it critical they eat starter feed. The newspaper is slippery and can leed to splay legs in those first days when chick joints are soft and vunerable. I use shavings after the first 3 days, then chicks are outside at 2 weeks old.

Do you live in a warmer climate. I live in Central Minnesota and I would like to move my chicks out of my house and into the coop sooner than later. I can run an extension cord and keep their heat lamp going but when they start to get bigger and dirtier, I would rather not have them in the house. Any suggestions?

 

[50-45-1]

run an extension cord and keep their heat lamp going

Yes, after 2 weeks they tend to get pretty stinky.
I put mine out with the heat lamp. I use different wattage bulbs and sometimes the 60 or 40 watt is sufficient, and i turn it off during the day if it warm enough.

 

[Folly's place]

Mine go out between two and three weeks, after starting in my garage. They get either their brooder plate or a heat lamp, in their separate coop section. Chicks in the house are a dusty mess!
Mary

 

[Lilokieescorter]

I use pine shavings from TSC & its pretty easy to clean.

 

[chickenlittle21]

I find pine shavings with a sprinkle of diatomaceous earth on top works best for a brooder.