Can I Put Hay on top of shavings for 2wk old chicks?

[Peaches Lee]

My EE chicks are absolute cretins. They fly, jump, run and scratch like crazy, which is resulting in a lot of dust. They are in my house, I really can't see putting them outside due to how cold it is, plus the barn is not setup for chicks. Anyway, I was very much hoping I could put hay in on top of the shaving to reduce some of the dust. But I wanted to consult with the BYC folks first--is this ok? The hay would be clean, timothy mix with no mold.

Thanks for input.

 

[chicky_mommy]

I dont know about using hay, but u can deffinatly use newspaper, that will cut down the dust.

 

[BerrytangleFarm]

I've done it without a problem starting about 2 weeks. They love playing with the hay "worms"

 

[Judy]

You're going to get some dust, though, from their dander. Some people use things like puppy pads or incontinence pads for people. Also old towels -- shake, wash and reuse. Mine are in my coop on mostly hay; they are 3 or 4 days old. It was about 45 out there the night I brought them home; there's a 250W red heat lamp about 2' above them. I rarely find them under it; they were running around away from it early in the morning on the day after I bought them.

ETA -- if they're really young they can get splayed leg from newspaper as it gets slippery, unless you shred it.

 

[Elite Silkies]

I don't like hay, it can grow mold which will kill chickens. I prefer shavings or paper towels for chicks. I use shavings most of the time, I have never had a problem.

 

[spiffwilkie]

I've used straw since I brought my chicks home. Haven't had any issues with it and it's super cheap. A whole bail will provide bedding for a long time.

 

[Peaches Lee]

Thank you for your replies. If they weren't so rambunctious I wouldn't put in the hay, but crikey!! They are so wild compared to my little sweet Golden Comet pullets I just got. I can't believe some of the things they do!! Anyway, I will see how the hay works.

 

[Fred's Hens]

Chickens have been raised on dirt, straw, hay, pine needles, etc for thousands and thousands of years. Manufactured wood chips and paper towels are a very recent inventions. That said, the dust is nasty and some of it is the chips, but much of it is simply dander. Shrug.

 

[FMAFarms]

Agree with a PP. You are going to get dust from their dander any way, regardless of whether you use pine shavings or timothy or something else. And chicks give off a LOT of dander as they lose their down and go through their partial molts. I wouldn't put newspaper down as their surface -- it's just too slippery and doesn't allow them to scratch and dig, which are natural chicken behaviors. Same for towels. As long as you immediately change the timothy when it gets wet (to prevent mold) and you are on top of keeping your brooder clean, I don't see why not.

 

[jimmythechicken]

only problem i have had with using hay is some of the chickens try to eat it an will cause compacted croop i use wood shavings till they go outside the dust does mostly dome from dander.good luck