Consolidated Kansas

[Ivywoods]

Hawkeye-I do not like to use newspaper. It is just not absorbent enough, and you have to change it very frequently. I guess that isn't so bad if you have a lot of it around and lots of time to do it. The thing that is worse about newspaper is that it is somewhat slick for the chicks to stand up on. Sometimes they end up not being able to get their feet under them, and they end up with "splayed" legs and unable to walk correctly. Generally if I use newspaper it is only for a very short time.

Everyone has their own routine, but here is what I do. I keep my chicks in the house in a clear plastic tub for the first few days. That way I can keep a very close eye on them. I give them water with added minerals and electrolytes. I use medicated chicks starter to feed them. In the bottom of my plastic "brooder" I put a terrycloth rag. It works great. Very absorbent, the chicks never have any trouble standing up on it, and when I am done with it I just throw it away. I've got quite a collection of terrycloth rags because I have bought several boxes of old towels and stuff at auctions for a dollar or two, then I save them for this purpose. Works for me. After a few days I move the chicks out to their big brooder in the shop which in the past has been an old stock tank with a welded wire cover. I use pine shavings for bedding.

Danz-I know a gal from here that is going to Garner. She is on the marans thread quite a bit and is from SE Nebraska. She goes by "gilavina" on BYC. You might look her up. I can't tell you what she looks like other than I think she has red hair. I'd love to go, but I have to work that day, in fact I am on my way to work now.

 

[Ivywoods]

Hawkeye-The Gardner auction is in Gardner, KS. It is the HOAGBA fall sale.... pretty big sale. You can go to the HOAGBA website and look up more info on it.

 

[JulieNKC]

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I am thinking about going. I've been wanting some coturnix. If I can find a sitter, I'll probably be there...

 

[Hawkeye95]

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Okay, so newspaper is too slick and can cause legs to splay? Sigh. I don't want to do anything to hurt them. I am home, I don't mind changing it frequently if it were just the fact it gets damp quickly. Figured I'd be wanting to hold them and eyeball them constantly anyway. Okay, well I'll look into getting something else. We do have some rags, but I hate to use them and toss them since we use them for the cars, windows, and other things. Is there anything else I can use? Could I put down newspaper and then put some pieces of paper towel over it? Okay, so the shavings-- they won't eat that, will they? I was going to put them in my dog kennel, but now I'm thinking it might be too open (it's wire) and looks like the plastic storage bin might be the best.

 

[rittert3]

If you like birds you will be in heaven at gardner. I seldom buy but I love to go anyway just to look at the wide variety. Eggs are dirt cheap at this sale. I wish I could go but I don't have the gas money or an excuse, but I would strongly recomend going. If you're worried about the crowd there will be plenty of birds to keep your attention. They also sell lots of equipment (early), rabbits, llamas, goats and some other critters as well. Hawkeye if you can find a cheap used paper shreader and have the time to feed it I have had fair results with shreaded news paper, you still have to change it more often than shavings though. You can also mix it with shavings to cut down on cost.

 

[Hawkeye95]

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Oooh, shredded newspaper!! We have a paper shredder! I didn't even think of that. It's just that we get the paper, and I save it in a pile to recycle... but I can accumulate a big stack pretty quickly. I'd love to have "free" bedding if I could. Our shredder is a 'confetti' shredder- so the pieces end up being pretty small. So that could work! Thank you!

 

[chicken danz]

I've used shredded paper. The worst thing about it is it doesn't control any odor and it clumps together pretty bad. Like Ivy said you would have to change it like every day. I use regular wood shavings bedding that is sold for horses. or more recently I have purchased those pellets that you put in pellet stoves. They are great. If they get wet they just become saw dust. Just make sure it doesn't contain ceder. They make the same thing for horse bedding as well. The pellet stove pellets are cheaper though. (It is also great cat litter)
Anyway for the bins I buy the roughest cheapest roll of paper towels I could find. It only takes a few to cover the bottom of the bin. It's easy to roll up and change them. I would switch to wood shavings bedding when you move them to the house. And I would move them out to the house with of course heat and draft protection within a week or two. That chick dust gets everywhere!
During really cold weather I like to start my birds in bins but if it isn't severe they go straight to the brooder house.
If you can get your hands on a book called Success with Baby chicks you can read it in a short time and there is a wealth of information in it.
Anyone who is going to Gardner can send me a PM and I'll give you my cell number so we can hook up. I love these events. I'm just nervous because I don't know my way around.

 

[Hawkeye95]

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Okay, I'm going to ditch the newspaper idea. I was sure hoping for cheap. Where do you buy the stove pellets?? I have an Atwoods, a TSC, and then Lowes.

 

[rittert3]

I have pretty good results and less odor with 1 part shreaded paper to 2 parts TSC horse bedding shavings but like I said it takes time to shread the newspaper. I don't know, for $5 a block the horse beddings not bad as far as cost and the shredding takes time so... It's up to you if you want to take the time to shread to save just a few cents and have to change it out a little more often then go with some paper mixed in, but the shavings are cheap, controls odor and absorbs better and needs changed less often. There are pros and cons and in this case it's pretty cheap to be a little lazy.

 

[chicken danz]

I have to agree with rit. No more chickens than you'll have, a bale of shavings will last for a long long time. The wood pellets are usually in any farm store and or lumber yard. Try the paper towels for bins in the house first. The advantage with using paper towels to begin with is that you can sprinkle a little chick starter on them instead of just the feeders and get them started eating. When you move them to the chicken house or after they get a few days old, switch to the shavings. When they are older use the pellets if you want. That's my opinion.