How long until I can use shavings?

[SoccerMomof7]

How old does my little chick have to be before I use wood shavings? He will be 2 weeks on sunday and my little tank it getting where I have to clean it out a couple times a day to keep the smell down.

 

[Master S.M.C]

You can use them now for your chick, it's fine but make sure it is ceder because pine is still poisonous.

 

[jhmoore]

I always understood it to be the opposite- pine is fine, but the oils in cedar are poisonous.

 

[Edfewlass]

Quote:
I put mine right in a container with PINE SHAVINGS have not had to many problems they do like to throw it in there water bowl though

 

[crazyhen]

definitely use soft wood shavings like pine. You may use them starting the second week. Jean

 

[Granolamom]

Quote:
It is! The essential oil in cedar can kill them, or at least cause respiratory problems.

 

[Akane]

You could have put him on shavings more than a week ago. My feed store never knows what they'll get exactly for shavings. They just order pine shavings and see what shows up at the door. So if I'm using large shavings I just start mine on shavings. If I have really small shavings that they are more likely to eat I lay paper towels over it until they are eating their chick starter well. That takes no more than a couple days. Then it's easy to remove the paper towels leaving the chicks on the shavings underneath.

Preferably you want to use kiln dried pine. Kiln dried removes even more of the oils. Regular pine shavings usually work ok but I air out really fresh ones.

 

[SoccerMomof7]

Okay well I will get some shavings tomorrow I know I had my others on shavings all along but that was because I didn't know any better at the time. F.J. is eating okay I just wanted to certain that it would be okay, this is a second generation chicken in my house the only offfspring of my deceased rooster, so a very special chick!

 

[4hooves&featheredfriends]

While you are at the store getting shavings- you might just need to pick up two more chicks - and you will see your single little chick do this

Unless you speak chicken, I think she needs a friend (or two).
See what happens on this board - we instigate chicky behavior