I use the terms sawdust and shavings interchangeably. They are essentially the same to me. Ground up, shredded wood works for chickens. I put in a thick layer and usually change it completely every 4 months or so. I just eyeball it and when it starts looking dirty it gets changed.So you use sawdust outside not shavings? Do you do deep litter method? Where do you get sawdust at? How often when brooding do u change the shavings, or how do you clean it out?