Cedar shavings

[duluthralphie]

@Chaos18 will have to see what I can dig up.

and welcome back. I have missed you!

Just take my word for it...error on the safe side...I would hate to see someone fry an egg for their kid before school... only to have Child Protective Services show up at their home because the kids went to school smelling like a gimlet..

 

[rosemarythyme]

I haven't seen any actual scientific evidence that shows definitively that cedar is harmful to chickens, but I'd still use it with caution. IMO if you can smell it, it needs to air out.

I do use some Western cedar chips, sourced from my own lot along with other woods, in both coop and run and have never seen signs of respiratory problems. Chips would be preferable to shavings as they have less surface area, so less of the aroma is being released. My chips are also well aged and no longer have much noticeable scent. I would avoid using all cedar, or fresh cedar, or large amounts of cedar in closed-in environments (i.e. indoor brooder, coop lacking in ventilation). My coop has 3x the recommended ventilation plus has a high ceiling for added air volume.

 

[WVduckchick]

@Chaos18 good to see you!

I remember someone mentioning the type of cedar, but can’t remember specifics. @perchie.girl had some info about it? Or was it someone else?

 

[cmom]

I did a little research on cedar shavings and what I found is if they are dried out well there should be no problems. The oils in the shavings is what causes the problems so if they are dried out well there should be no problems. They are a little pricier than pine shavings.

 

[duluthralphie]

I did a little research on cedar shavings and what I found is if they are dried out well there should be no problems. The oils in the shavings is what causes the problems so if they are dried out well there should be no problems. They are a little pricier than pine shavings.

How do Cedar Chips “dry out”?

Does it involve intensive in patient treatment or is a 12 step program required?

 

[cmom]

Do a little research... Maybe kiln dried. What I read was that the oils in the shavings are the irritant and when they are dried they should be ok. I'll research it.

 

[casportpony]

I read that both pine and cedar contain phenols.
https://www.google.com/search?q=pin...0j69i57j0l6.3392j0j7&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8
Disclaimer - I have no idea if any of that is true or not.

 

[cmom]

I use pine shavings in my coops and have for many years. They work great for me and I haven't had any problems with my birds.

 

[Chaos18]

Well truth be told I just wanted to hear ralphie say gimlet......either that or the shavings were free.

Any who I used them in two separate coops and nobody died. Shorten the life span of them? No clue, I wasn't told in the manual I got with them how long they were gonna live.

 

[duluthralphie]

Well truth be told I just wanted to hear ralphie say gimlet......either that or the shavings were free.

Any who I used them in two separate coops and nobody died. Shorten the life span of them? No clue, I wasn't told in the manual I got with them how long they were gonna live.

If it shortens the lifespan, then by all means use cedar chips and give them gimlets..

I have old birds I end up supporting because I am such a easy going kind hearted person. I have one old hen that has’t laid an egg in 5 years.

Shortening her lifespan would have saved me money..

also all Dux should be required to nest on cedar chips for the good of the world.