Chick bedding - not pine shavings

[DaveMorehouse]

Hi. My wife and I have kept layers (12-20) for several years now but I have always bought adult or young birds locally. We give them a good life and when it's time we use them for the table.

This year we took the plunge and ordered chicks for meat. (Cornish X for our first attempt) We have a couple large gardens and compost/use the manure and bedding from the coop. When not in the coop the birds range inside the fencing of one of the two gardens. Each year we rotate which garden has veggies and which one has chickens. The soil is amazing and we garden organically with very few pest issues.

My question is this - What bedding material can we use for the new chicks that is not pine shavings? (They take far too long to break down in the compost piles.)

My apologies for being overly long and thanks, in advance for your thoughts.
Dave

 

[Poultry parent]

Sawdust (that can cause respiratory issues though) straw, hay, newspaper

 

[DaveMorehouse]

Thanks. I have straw and newspaper and will use those. I just wanted to be certain that it wouldn't harm the chicks or cause disease issues.

Thanks again,
Dave

 

[Poultry parent]

Straw and news paper don't harbor bacteria any more than any other bedding

 

[Penguino1]

Newspaper composts perfectly fine. Just make sure you use the typical, 99 cents a piece ones, since the glossy and expensive magazines typically take longer and contain harmful inks.