Help! Brooder bedding options for 1 week old bantams

[purewellspring]

Help! So, I just bought what another friend uses in her brooder...the mixed cedar shavings from atwoods. My chicks are doing awesome, no worries, nothing stinks, healthy as larks, etc. But then, I'm reading on here today that cedar is bad for them? Help, what now? I have been planning to use the deep litter method even in the brooder after reading the section in Ussery's book on deep litter even during brooding and chick health. But now I have a huge bag of cedar shavings, and I'm not sure what to replace it with...

I have an old bale of hay in the barn that my goats won't eat (darn picky, those animals!)...but the hay seems so big for a brooder. Would that be a good option? If so, how in the world do I use it in the brooder? It's really long prairie hay. Do I just break it up some? We've also got an old wood chip pile outside from some branches we had cut down last year...would those work? They've been decomposing for awhile now...

Thanks!

 

[howfunkyisurchicken]

I'd head out to tractor supply or the pet store and pick up some pine shavings. Take the cedar out and put down paper towels until you can replace them. The wood chicks might be alright as long as they're dry (and no mold). Good luck.
Nikki

 

[Overoberyl]

Agreed, definitely pine shavings if you are looking for a replacement for cedar. That is what I use in my brooders and the chicks do fine, even my D'Uccles.

 

[purewellspring]

Thank you for the input! After I posted I went outside and dug up a bucket of wood chips and mixed them in (home with a sick kiddo today, so no runs to atwoods until tomorrow). I added a large amount of the new chips, and they went crazy. They love them. Scratching, digging, pecking all over the place! I haven't seen them so excited yet! I'm headed to Atwoods tomorrow for some pine shavings...thank you!