DIY brooder for 30 chicks?

[Just_flocking_around]

Sorry, meant to say pine.

No, you were right the first time. Cedar can kill chicks. The scent is overpowering and toxic to them, should always use pine if you’re gonna use wood shavings for bedding

 

[NatJ]

No, you were right the first time. Cedar can kill chicks. The scent is overpowering and toxic to them, should always use pine if you’re gonna use wood shavings for bedding

No, if you read the whole thread, you will see that they were right the second time.

First time, they said cedar shavings were good.
Second time, which you quoted, they said they meant to say pine (as in, pine shavings are good.) That was after someone else pointed out that cedar is bad.

By this time, everyone is saying the same thing in various ways: cedar shavings bad, pine shavings good.

(By the way, this thread is from September of 2021, so it's not really an ongoing discussion any more. Of course it is still useful for people researching brooder ideas.)

 

[BigBlueHen53]

I've got a huge pile of mixed shavings. I'm pretty sure there is SOME cedar in it but it's mostly pine and also has some hardwood, mostly oak. Can I use it? The chickens are already scratching in it with no ill effect that I can see.

 

[NatJ]

I've got a huge pile of mixed shavings. I'm pretty sure there is SOME cedar in it but it's mostly pine and also has some hardwood, mostly oak. Can I use it? The chickens are already scratching in it with no ill effect that I can see.

If it is outdoors with plenty of ventilation, it is probably fine (vs. being in a small brooder with high sides and little air circulation.)

Alternatively, take a good sniff, with your nose fairly close to the pile. If it reeks of cedar, maybe a problem. If you can't smell cedar, probably fine. If you could smell cedar from 10 feet away, definitely a problem, but I think you would have decided that without needing to ask.

 

[rosemarythyme]

I've got a huge pile of mixed shavings. I'm pretty sure there is SOME cedar in it but it's mostly pine and also has some hardwood, mostly oak. Can I use it? The chickens are already scratching in it with no ill effect that I can see.

I have cedar chips in my chip mix (it would be literally impossible to get wood chips around here without cedar mixed in, as it's simply part of the environment) and I use aged chips in both coop and run. Little to no cedar aroma at all. I feel very comfortable about using it in my set up. We have Western cedar which is lower aroma than Eastern red cedar (which is more aromatic and the type of cedar associated with hope chests and insect repellents).

I would probably avoid using cedar shavings (the increased surface area allows for more offgassing), or fresh cedar (well, fresh anything really... pine sap is awful!), or cedar in closed-in environments (i.e. indoor brooder, coop lacking in ventilation), especially if it's an aromatic variety of cedar. My coop is well over recommended ventilation plus has a high ceiling for added air volume.

Many coop builds have cedar and I don't think people ever consider that. My current coop has cedar trim, my old one (which is now a chick brooder) is 100% cedar.

Obviously if you're not comfortable with it, don't use it, but I've been mixing in cedar for the last several years and there's been no sign of respiratory issues in my flock.

 

[BigBlueHen53]

Thank you both, @NatJ and @rosemarythyme !