Brooder bedding??

[nuts4hotwheels]

I know that this has been asked before, but... This is day number for my babies. What should I have on the bottom of the brooder for bedding. Right now, I have paper towels. Some posts that I have read say "Use paper towels", "use paper towels on top of pine shavings" and other say "straight pine shavings from day one".

 

[BarredBuff]

I do straight pine shavings from the beginning.

 

[wolftracks]

Mine love alfalfa. It's comfortable and they eat it too.

 

[A.T. Hagan]

Kiln-dried pine shavings all the way from day one.

 

[felidaet]

I use pine bedding pellets. They are a lot less messy than pine shavings and much less smelly. I put paper towels over them for about the first week.

 

[suzyq53511]

I have been using shavings. I tried old towels for a few days. It was wayyyyy to much work and really gross.

 

[redfox]

I use pine shavings and alfalfa depending on what i have around the farm but they both work just find for me. Not a fan of the paper towels sorry

 

[lilchik]

I use puppy training pads. If I run out of them, I have used paper towels. I prefer the training pads because my brooders are in the house and pine shavings get to smelly. Plus if they get damp from spilled water, they are even more smelly and hold moisture. I change the training pad daily to keep the brooder clean. I do use pine shaving in the outside brooder when the chicks outgrow the inside brooder.

 

[dutchhollow]

I use wood pellets, I do usually put a paper towel under the feeder to scatter some food on for the first day, after that just the pellets. They stay a lot dryer then shavings.

 

[write2caroline]

I have used crushed walnut shells (finely crushed) had great results and now I use playsand like for a kid's sand box because it is much much less expensive and works great too!
Caroline