Brooder floor sugestions

[AstraChick]

aart chicks are inside our warm house and heat pad is under the paper towels.
i use to have the heat pad wrapped onto a bendable wire frame so they could go underneath it but they kept sitting on top of it so i decided to do it this way

 

[cmom]

I love that picture, so cute...

 

[AstraChick]

cmom great idea, my cage already has a plastic removable tray underneath will just have to place a smaller holed wire on top, hmmm maybe an idea, Thank you

 

[Peepsi]

I haven't tried PDZ as flooring, but I'm pretty sure the chicks will eat that too. I use PDZ out in my run, mixed with sand, and the pullets try to eat the PDZ when I put it out to freshen up the sand. Really, baby chicks will try to eat anything, like human babies.

My solution was using fine sawdust shavings in the brooder. I'd put in about a half inch of the sawdust, and pack it down. Then, I laid paper towels in several layers on top of that, tucking the paper towels down over the sawdust around the edges, so that no sawdust showed. When I did fast daily clean-ups, I'd remove the top layer of paper towels (keeping the bottom layer of paper towels down) along with all the poop, and replace them with a layer of fresh top paper towels.

In this way, the chicks had soft padding to walk on, the pine shavings absorbed any moisture on the bottom, and the brooder was kept clean constantly with the removal of the top paper towels and poop. Be warned though.... this method uses a LOT of paper towels (like, around 10 rolls of Bounty paper towels for 5 weeks).

But, I must have done something right, as I never had a single case of Coccidiosis, my chicks never got manure balls on their feet, and the brooder was nice and dry and clean.

You could do the same thing with paper towels on top of PDZ, so that the chicks can't eat it, but I personally think the pine shavings under paper towels keep things cozier. (or better yet, use both the PDZ and pine shavings, with the paper towels on top!!)

 

[AstraChick]

Peepsi yes i use paper towels atm, i think we are keeping the companies in business
looks like i might give the pine shavings another go

now curious as to what people thought about the sand as a brooder floor

 

[aart]

now curious as to what people thought about the sand as a brooder floor

It will work, but won't control odors like the PDZ will....
...and once saturated with pulverized poops(you can never get it all sifted out) ti will stink and merest suggestion of dampness.
Yes, they will eat some but never had them eat enough to cause a problem.

 

[Peepsi]

It will work, but won't control odors like the PDZ will....
...and once saturated with pulverized poops(you can never get it all sifted out) ti will stink and merest suggestion of dampness.
Yes, they will eat some but never had them eat enough to cause a problem.

True, but you can always mix PDZ in with the sand . That's how my run/roost boards are set up. Sand mixed with PDZ. I've had this set-up in the run since August of this year, no smell yet. However, I plan to post an article after about a year with my observations about sand in the run. So far, it's been interesting!

 

[aart]

True, but you can always mix PDZ in with the sand . That's how my run/roost boards are set up. Sand mixed with PDZ. I've had this set-up in the run since August of this year, no smell yet. However, I plan to post an article after about a year with my observations about sand in the run. So far, it's been interesting!

Yep, that's how I started, mixing with sand to cut the cost of the PDZ.
Unless you can find a clean(washed and kiln dried) coarser sand, which I can't anymore, it's really dusty.
I've just gone to a very thin layer(~1/8") of straight PDZ on poop boards and a bit thicker under paper towels in brooder.

 

[cmom]

cmom great idea, my cage already has a plastic removable tray underneath will just have to place a smaller holed wire on top, hmmm maybe an idea, Thank you

I like the wire because the feed and water stay cleaner. I have also used melon boxes as brooders.

 

[AstraChick]

ok i decided to go with the pine shavings to use up what i have.
think i'll stick to using the sweet pdz on the poop boards which we plan to install soon, have decided to stay away from the sand as i like to compost for vegi garden.

chicks at 4 days old,
white patch is heat pad under towel and thick clear plastic liner, pine shavings about a 1.5' layer. since they do alot of pooping while sleeping plastic much easier to keep clean and its not slippery, the plastic is what they use for the outdoor blinds.

chicks at 5 days old

Thanks everyone for your eggcellent advice, very much appreciated