Eeek!

[Kimber]

I'm so sorry for your loss. What an aweful discovery!

 

[HennyPennies2007]

I count mine every single day in the brooder... I am always afraid one will escape and I won't know. Sorry Mort... pretty tough stuff... hang in there

 

[SandraMort]

Ohh, I see, yes. I used towels for the first few days. They're a couple of weeks old.

 

[SandraMort]

I ought to, I suppose, but the little buggers won't behave and sit still for it! Counting chickens isn't so easy!

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[Cuban Longtails]

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Been there, done that. I had to start keeping count by breaking them down into smaller groups (i.e. multiple brooders

). And then I learned not to get a whole bunch at one time.

Guys and gals, it's not the shavings that kill them. They are usually just weak and pass on or get smothered by their hatch mates.

With all the scratching around that babies will do, it's not hard for a dead one to disappear overnight under a blanket of shavings.

 

[gritsar]

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The bedding that you want to avoid is CEDAR, not pine.

 

[mjdtexan]

So, just so I have this correct, it IS ok to use pine shavings, just be sure to cover them with paper towels at first?

Question #1

How thick should the pine shavings be?

Question #2

How long does one use the paper towel over the pine shavings?

Question #3

Wont the chicks pretty much mess up the paper towel alignment (placement?)?

Question #4

If their is an issue with the chicks moving the paper towels around, how do you correct it?

 

[SandraMort]

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Multiple brooders is a great idea. Next time, I'll do that. This is my first season and I'll do a LOT differently next time!

And then I learned not to get a whole bunch at one time.

That sounds easier than it is and I haven't worked out the logistics. If they can't be mixed together until they're the same size and you're getting a bunch, how do you have only a few at a time? Multiple brooders sound far more simple.​

 

[SandraMort]

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I started with *JUST* towels, blankets, or sheets. Any absorbant fabric that you aren't attached to should work.

How thick should the pine shavings be?

Thick enough to soak up poop. Gets dirty, add more and stir or replace. It's not like baking where each cup of flour needs so much leavener..​

 

[SandraMort]

I'm sorry if this sounded snarky. It's just that there are so many variables. If the water splashes, you need more. If the brooder is large, you need less. You need more with more birds, less with less birds. See what I mean? Put down some, you can see how that goes and add more or take away if need be. It's not hard.

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