Feed store correct about pine shavings?

[needmorechickens!]

I asked for pine shavings at my feed store and the owner told me they have shavings but not pine. He said pine was bad for the chicks.

I don't think he is right, but if I have to buy from him, i am going to ask him what kind of wood is in the shavings.

What are the types of wood that I should stay away from?

~Rebecca

 

[spatcher]

Pine is fine...stay away from Cedar!

 

[CathyB]

Pine is totally ok. How old are the chicks. He could have said that becasue the first 3-5 days you should cover the pine so the little babies do not eat it instead of the food....

 

[PotterWatch]

How about aspen? I ended up at a pet store on Sunday because none of the feed stores were open and I really needed some new bedding. All they had for wood shavings was aspen. It says there are no aromatic oils in it so I'm hoping it will be fine.

 

[CathyB]

I use Aspen on my chinchillas. I had been told it was ok for my chickens too but I can get pine in bales for the hen house cheaper!

 

[gumpsgirl]

Quote:
Aspen should be just fine. I use aspen for my rats and did for the gerbils too. If their fragile little lungs could take it, then I'm quite certain that the chickens will do just fine with it. Pine in the large bales at the farm supply stores is much more economical though.

 

[Akane]

Pine shavings are debateable. They still contain the same toxic oils as cedar just in smaller amounts. Usually you don't notice any effects on the animals but when used in research facilities pine did still cause an increase in liver enzymes and respiratory problems. You also will find some animals and people that are sensitive to it. That's why some people will refuse to use pine as well as cedar and only use aspen or other shavings with no phenols (the toxic volatile oils). Kiln dried pine is much better than nonkiln dried if you can get that. Also spruce shavings (usually sold as softwood shavings) are much better than pine and still work the same and are as cheap as pine. Aspen can vary in it's quality, softness, etc..

 

[al6517]

I hear quite often that people seem to get very poor advice from feed store folks, is it that they look at you and say to themselfs ( yea you know the difference ) and then feed you a line. There are several of these type clerks in my area, but i buy from my nieghbor who owns a feed store. the best way i find to get best results is to educate yourself as much as you can so when they make a recomendation that is wrong you will know, then set them straight LOL LOL.

 

[thepetpaw]

I jhave been using pine for my baby chicks and for my baby keets as well - so far so good and I know my guineas are eating them - they devour anything that gets put in their brooder!

 

[PotterWatch]

Quote:
Definitely more bang for your buck. I was in a bind though and needed shavings on a day when the feed stores weren't open. I like the feeling of the pine shavings better than the aspen also. The aspen feels much rougher, if I were a chicken, I would rather nest on pine, lol.