Chickens r eating pine shavings

[Bring]

I just place pine shavings in my coop. It's originally used for horse bedding. My chickens are eating it! Will it hurt them?

 

[chickenmeadow]

I look forward to some comments on pine shavings as bedding also. All of the chickies that I raised this year from incubated eggs were always put on chopped (sizzor cut up from a bale) straw. Just because the feed stores suggested that their easy to sell, easy to handle pine shavings were the thing to use, I wasn't about to use bedding that was not something that I would feed to a chicken. I've seen baby cockatiels fill up their crop with pine shavings & not be able to digest it. The 2" to 4" pieces of cut straw worked just fine, it wasn't dusty like the shavings; they enjoyed picking it up & playing with it; chickens need fun things to do............As for adult chickens & putting it in their coop, I read that straw gets moldy easier & pine shavings are better in damp conditions, this was in reference to creating a little winter heat by not cleaning out the bedding & just put fresh bedding on top until spring; good ventilation is needed for this method. Layers of bedding with droppings become damp & that's where the mold can form especially with straw. I have put pine shavings in my adult coop & bottom of next boxes with straw on top they pecked at it the first day or two only & had no problems.

 

[gritsar]

My chickens were on pine shavings from day one. They pick pieces with their beaks to investigate. Chickens investigate everything to see if it's edible. They never consumed enough for it to be a problem.
It's recommended you put them on paper towels over the shavings for the first couple days of life, but I didn't.
I still use pine shavings on my coop floor. Super easy to shovel when the time comes to clean the coop and for stirring when using the deep litter method.
ETA: I use hay in my nestboxes. Changed out weekly.

 

[Hangin Wit My Peeps]

mine were on pine too from day one and never lost one yet. They ate a lot of pine shavings too. Don't worry...they will be just fine

 

[Bring]

My girls range from 14 weeks to 21 wks.

 

[gritsar]

Quote:
Not a problem. Unless your talking about used shavings from the horse stalls when you say "It's originally used for horse bedding". Then it's a problem.

 

[Bring]

oh, no no. It's not used. I bought it new. Horse stalls and trailers are it's intended use.

 

[gritsar]

It's fine. Honest.

 

[vnploveschickens]

Some of our girls peck at the pine shavings in the coop. But they've never had a problem with it. It will be ok.