Brooder Bedding

[Althepalunusual]

Hello, all! I am getting our brooder setup. I went to our local Feed Store and they sold me dust-free fir for the chicks’ bedding. I seem to see little online that says fir should be okay for chicks, but he did say it should be fine. Any insight is appreciated! Thank you! I still have some time to go find another bedding type today, so fire away! Thank you!

 

[DobieLover]

It should be fine.

How large is the brooder and much ventilation does it have? How many chicks will it house? They need about 1 sq ft of space per chick for the first 2 weeks then double that until fully feathered. Having one location with supplemental heat and the rest of the brooder at ambient temperatures is best. A brooder plate is better (by far) than a heat lamp.

Their coop should offer 4 sq ft per bird and 1 linear foot of roost space per bird.

 

[rosemarythyme]

Fir should be fine. Preferably larger flake, as chicks may be slightly more prone to eating finer bedding.

 

[Althepalunusual]

It should be fine.

How large is the brooder and much ventilation does it have? How many chicks will it house? They need about 1 sq ft of space per chick for the first 2 weeks then double that until fully feathered. Having one location with supplemental heat and the rest of the brooder at ambient temperatures is best. A brooder plate is better (by far) than a heat lamp.

Their coop should offer 4 sq ft per bird and 1 linear foot of roost space per bird.

They are serama chicks (five have hatched today!!). The brooder is 52”x30”x30” storage tub. I cut the majority of the middle of the lid off and attached chicken wire across the top. I prepped it this afternoon so the bedding can air out a bit just in case, while the chicks hang out in the incubator. Thank you!