has anyone used wood pellets for litter?

[wildorchid053]

i did a search on wood pellets.. the kind for wood stoves and they are supposed to be organic and made of hardwood.. we had several bags get wet from the snow last year so we tilled them into the garden.. we had stringbeans about 4" tall and completely yellow.. nothing else came and gave us any veggies.. the garden is huge.. was a strange year but we are thinking maybe all those bags of pellets did something.. i wouldn't use them in with your chickens..i thought they were shaped from pressure but maybe something is added to keep their shape? they sure killed the garden thats for sure..

 

[Whirlwind]

Wildorchid, thats a bummer about your garden. I have been putting these I have in the compost pile. Says 100% pine on the bag.

They are animal bedding I got at TSC. Maybe I should not put them in the compost.

 

[joebryant]

I used them once and liked them for a while; however, if any drinking water gets on them they turn to soggy sawdust. Eventually they all turn to sawdust. Plus, they're much heavier and more cumbersome than wood chips from TSC. Chickens can keep wood chips stirred up easily, but not wood pellets.

 

[shelleyd2008]

I use pellets in the brooders, and don't have any problems with them. If it is just chicks in the brooder, I mix the pellets and shavings together, if it's ducks or quail, it's just pellets. I've not had any problems with them eating them.
If you use them in your chickens' run and it's already wet, just toss them in there dry. If you decide to use them in your coop, you'll probably need to wet the tops of them so they'll break down some.

 

[old fashioned]

I have heard the wood stove pellets were "binded together" with some kind of salt or atleast some brands do this. I don't know for sure cause it was a sales person that said it. But the more I think of it and hearing here on BYC, I think I might opt out on the pellet idea. I do know when the wood pellets get wet or damp, they break down to dust like. Perhaps the brand of pellets you tilled into the garden had a high salt content that messed up your ph or nutrient content. Maybe you could have your soil tested to be sure.

 

[Cindy in PA]

I used wood pellets & pine chips last fall for the first time. The pellets were way bigger than pelleted food & I had no problems with chcikens eating them. They do eat or pick at wood chips afterall. The pellets kept my coop so dry that I was amazed. I used the pellets dry & put the wood chips on top. I had a lot less smell & wetness. They do mat if you don't stir them once they get to the saw dust stage. I used them in my bantam brooder this summer & really loved them there. Much less smell for the 4 weeks I had them in the garage. I especially love them around the waterer, as they keep the bedding much drier than regular wood shavings. Hope this helps.

 

[honeydoll]

Quote:
I am really glad to hear about the waterer area being kept drier. I guess I'll give them a try. I know some have had chicks/chickens eat the pellets, but I've also heard others say their hens ate the hay in the nesting boxes and got impacted crops from that too. I guess nothing is 100% safe, pine shavings are great but so costly to use as the only source and get saturated so easy. Chickens get themselves in the craziest predicaments sometimes.

 

[Whirlwind]

I agree about the nothing is for sure. My chick that ate the pellet or piece of one is better this am. She can almost stand up.

I think it was a fluke and you will probably be ok. They sure were less smell and mess than the wood chips.

If you use these with grown chickens they are probably smarter than chicks about what not to eat.