Cat Litter and Chicks/Poults

[write2caroline]

I like playground sand - works like kitty litter but won't hurt them.
Caroline

 

[SilkieTime]

I like to use cat litter to get up oil in the driveway. It is useful for some things.

 

[cheeps]

Awesome advice everyone. I still have the box of cat litter sitting on my floor, don't worry! They still have shavings. I, being sort of a clean freak, just was hoping to find something less smelly to use as these guys are in my dining room, lol. I'll stick with smelly pine shavings. Uggh.

One poster said they used play sand...that's what I started out with...it was great there for a while, but from moisture began to mold underneath the top layer and smelled to high heaven. I cleaned the mess out every day. Not sure what I did wrong there!

 

[Hunter Farm]

Well I'm gonna go on the other side!! I use cat litter in my "nursery" coop on the floor!! Mine are from 8-14 weeks old!! I haven't seen one of them even peck at it!! And it sure is easier to clean with a litter scoop!!

Missi

Same here, my chicks never eat it. I don't use any expensive clumping or perfumed kind either. Prefer pine shavings, but cat litter seems fine in a pinch, like when the planer blade breaks, lol

Cat litter is made of clay, usually zeolite, diatomite and sepiolite, none of which are harmful to chickens, some feed companies use these clays to prevent micotoxins in the feed and clay might help with parasitic infections too, similar to diatomaceous earth, so if the chickens eat it, probably more beneficial than harmful, as long as they're not gorging themselves with it and clogging up their system. Note: watch out for any silica in the cat litter, usually in the perfumed, clumping kind, that you don't want the chickens to eat.

Chickens are a lot smarter than given credit, they know instinctively what not to eat, well, some aren't too bright, but mine free range and eat all kinds of things we're told they shouldn't, Healthy birds nonetheless.

 

[JanaSue]

I use all natural clay, no perfumes, no dyes, no clumping chemicals. I haven't seen them eat it and haven't had an issue. Do people not let their chickens free range on clay soils?