Hemp bedding?

[Merrymouse]

Watching YouTube and stumbled upon hemp for bedding. Has anyone used it? What are the advantages/disadvantages?

 

[PD-Riverman]

Watching YouTube and stumbled upon hemp for bedding. Has anyone used it? What are the advantages/disadvantages?

You talking about for chick brooder bedding?? I never used it, would not have a source if I wanted some. Pine shaving works Great and is cheap.

 

[Oodeldood]

Pines shavings are cheap for a reason they are full of tannins:

I use Hemp Bedding superior and now these guys have small Eco-Friendly packaging - http://hemp-solutions.org/animal-bedding/


http://poisonousplants.ansci.cornell.edu/toxicagents/tannin.html

Toxicity to monogastrics
Animals fed diets with a level of tannins under 5% experience

• depressed growth rates,
• low protein utilization,
• damage to the mucosal lining of the digestive tract,
• alteration in the excretion of certain cations, and
• increased excretion of proteins and essential amino acids.

In poultry, small quantities of tannins in the diet cause adverse effects

• levels from 0.5 to 2.0% can cause depression in growth and egg production,
• levels from 3 to 7% can cause death.

 

[PD-Riverman]

Pines shavings are cheap for a reason they are full of tannins:

I use Hemp Bedding superior and now these guys have small Eco-Friendly packaging - http://hemp-solutions.org/animal-bedding/


http://poisonousplants.ansci.cornell.edu/toxicagents/tannin.html

Toxicity to monogastrics
Animals fed diets with a level of tannins under 5% experience

• depressed growth rates,
• low protein utilization,
• damage to the mucosal lining of the digestive tract,
• alteration in the excretion of certain cations, and
• increased excretion of proteins and essential amino acids.

In poultry, small quantities of tannins in the diet cause adverse effects

• levels from 0.5 to 2.0% can cause depression in growth and egg production,
• levels from 3 to 7% can cause death.

You seem like a smart person that has done some home-work.
What level of Tannings are in dried flake pine shavings like TSC sells??
Being its used for bedding and I am sure small amounts are eaten by the chicks, but what percentage on average of the flake bedding is consumed by the chicks that are properly fed?
In that small percentage what % would that turn out to be Tannings?
Is that enough percentage to cause any problem with chicks? Thanks

 

[aart]

Watching YouTube and stumbled upon hemp for bedding. Has anyone used it? What are the advantages/disadvantages?

Think it's more fad here than anything......they use it in the UK as it's readily available and reasonably priced.

Wonders about the claim above about tannins....sounds like marketing maybe.

Ditto PDR's question about tannin levels in pine shavings....and really chickens don't eat many if any shavings.

 

[peaceisgreen]

id say use it if you can its superior in every way in my opinion but not necessary

 

[Merrymouse]

I only know about it because I was watching a video on coops when I was researching coop designs and deep litter and there was a company I think it was called Carolina Coops or something like that and they make these huge custom expensive coops and they used hemp bedding.

 

[Oodeldood]

Not sure the research has been done, if so I can't find it. Tannins or other imputities are not worth the chance. At the moment like pesticides and other things I want to prevent from getting into my families food supply i go with not taking chances. I like the natural plant based items that have been used by humans for 10's of thousands of years. Humans have a system based on it's proximity to the hemp plant which is as old as history. The research I know of on the later is by the Isrealies that say we've been around the pant and vice versa that this plant and us have evolved together and we have developed an endocannabinoid system that reacts positively to the plant. That's the part that intriques me. So if the system recognizes it and reacts positively I'm all for it even if it comes through animals. As for Trees I've never heard of humans eating or benefiting from trees, tannins or any thing that has any off gassing abilities as it breaks down into compost.

 

[PD-Riverman]

Pines shavings are cheap for a reason they are full of tannins:

I

Not sure the research has been done, if so I can't find it. Tannins or other imputities are not worth the chance.

OK, you posted on this public Forum they were cheap because they were full of Tannings, I use the flake pine shavings for some of the chick bedding as well as Many/1000's and 1000's of others---with no problem. Now when questioned ----you state you do not know if the research has been done----well then how do you know this statement is true----you posted this Info on a public forum---Is my Question??

 

[azygous]

Tannins in wood are concentrated in the bark. The concentration in the pulp, the part that commercial pine shavings come from, is minimal. I've been raising chickens for ten years on wood chippings and shavings, and I've not seen any problems arise form it.