How early can you put new hatched chicks in pine shavings in brooder?

[wraith2626]

I just finished my first hatch of eggs from my small flock. 16 of 19 made it through in my hand made incubator and hatched out Friday night and Saturday.

My question now is when am I able to place them in pine shavings in their brooder? Right now they are on paper towels. My concern is that for a quick paper towel change in their brooder I had them in a large box with shavings and they were eating them. This can't be good for them...can it?

Any advice from those who have "been there and done that" with their own hatchlings would be appreciated.

 

[horsejody]

This is what I do. For the first week they are on puppy pads. The second week they are on newspaper, and the third week they are on pine shavings.

 

[Ellie]

Oh, mine are on pine shavings because they are outside in a little house with their mom and they need the shavings for warmth.

Will this cause any problems?

Ellie

 

[Malbri]

Quote:
Puppy pads? Thats interesting, how often do you change them?

 

[waynesgarden]

When the chicks arrive, I put pine shavings down and cover it with some fiberglass screening and some paper towels. After a couple of days, they've learned what and where their food is and I remove the screening & paper and they're on their own on the pine shavings.

Haven't seen it happen yet, but if one of them decides it prefers to eat the pine, I guess that's Darwinism at work.

Wayne

 

[speckledhen]

Within a day or two of hatching, I remove the paper towels to reveal the pine shavings underneath. I just make sure they're all eating and drinking and then dont worry about it. They'll eat a little, but not too much of the shavings.

 

[wraith2626]

Thanks for everyone's input. They are several days old and eating/drinking very well. I just noted the picking at, and in some cases eating of some pine shavings and was not sure if I had made a mistake.

 

[JustChicky]

My chicks are 1 week old. I just took them off paper towels yesterday. I am using pine shavings from a wood working shop. The shop is clean and so are the pine shavings, but I have seen a wing and a leg of a bug in the bag of shavings. I thought they were eating the shavings too, but I think they are finding little bugs, sand, feed, etc because mine seem to pick up the shavings and then drop them. I have seen a few eat a couple pieces of pine but not many. They seem to learn about their food and water quick.

They are in our workshop, so I know the bugs can get in the brooder with them. I thought one of them was hurt because I heard what sounded like screaming. When I looked in, I saw one of the yellow "extras" with a bug in his mouth running around like crazy and of course another one stole it right out of his mouth.

Too funny!