Do you have to pine chips???

[jppayne34]

hey everybody new guy here. i am trying to see if you have to use pine shavings or if it can be shavings of any wood or even saw dust for the older chickens. the reason is i know a guy that does alot of wood working and has loads of shavings but it is of all different kinds of wood and i didnt know if it would cause any problems for them

 

[Omran]

Quote:
you can use any wood for shaving,but the cedar. so pine is good

 

[Pardee_Boy]

Pine shavings is the best I've seen so far. TSC will have them and you get a huge cube for like 6 bucks. So far only used 1 cube in about a month and a half. it adds up in the composte pile but its cheap and they suck up moister and smell good for about 2 days lol.

 

[tammyd57]

Any wood shavings are fine except Cedar. Cedar has a chemical in it that can kill chicks.

 

[enola]

Chips from pressure treated wood would not be good to use in a chicken house.

 

[elmo]

And I don't think sawdust would make a great bedding, either.

 

[Terry]

Hi Jp

They say that cedar is not good for them as I learned from here a couple of yrs ago with some silkies I rescued.
Although... "Little Mamma" went in the dog igloo with cedar chips and made a nest IDK maybe she's not that bright lol
I would think that any wood chips or shavings would be fine except pressure treated because of the chemicals used.
Sawdust would not be good as it would be messy and stay damp which could cause problems.
I would only use for and emergency spill but be sure to take all the wet/moist out right away.
How lucky of you to be able to get it free!

Hope this helps a little and good luck to you!

 

[WoodlandWoman]

In addition to staying away from cedar and pressure treated wood, some exotic woods are toxic. Very decorative, but toxic. Usually only people doing specialized work use them and if they know what they're doing, they know which ones to be careful about. They need to take precautions for their own health, to prevent exposure to the dust. So, I would find out what type of woods he uses. If they are non-toxic woods, you'll be fine. Hardwood shavings probably won't be as absorbent as soft woods. You may have a little more of an issue with dust in the coop. If you do, make sure you have enough ventilation and you can manage the litter so it isn't so dry.

 

[jppayne34]

thanks everyone i had read about not to use the pt wood chips but this guy runs all kinds of wood soft pine, all hardwoods and even the exotic like ipe and others i cant even begin to spell and they were the ones i was not so sure about. i know the pine is not that much to buy but i can get all i want for free from this guy so i figured why not if it works. thanks again everyone for the help love this site got my first chicks ordered for june 3 so got to get the ball rolling on everything so i am ready for them

 

[WoodlandWoman]

If you google the words toxic and wood, you'll find a bunch of sites with toxic wood lists, for wood workers. That might help you out.

Congratulations on getting chickens!