Hubby complaining about dust...

[foxmfan1]

why are pine shavings bad,im four days into my lil chickadees, and dont want anything bad to happen to them, for now they are nesting in pine shavings, and have at minimum two hours free ranging in a lilte run I made them. So if pine shavings are bad, what is the alterntive?

 

[Kay1993]

why are pine shavings bad,im four days into my lil chickadees, and dont want anything bad to happen to them, for now they are nesting in pine shavings, and have at minimum two hours free ranging in a lilte run I made them. So if pine shavings are bad, what is the alterntive?

There are faults found in every bedding option... your chicks should be just fine on pine as long as its not producing a lot of dust, it's cedar that's suppose to be bad.

 

[McGobs]

I've also read bad things about cedar shavings. Something about being toxic. I'm personally into my second year with chickens, and I've never used anything other than pine shavings. I get a deal on them at the horse farm up the road. I've never noticed any ill effects of any sorts.

 

[Arralana]

Has anyone tried the small pet bedding? It's not cedar or pine. I use it for my chinchillas and it seems to work very well. I don't know if the chicks would try snacking on it but it's non toxic and doesn't add to dust.

 

[MontanaDolphin]

Then we moved them into a tall box for a few days until I could set up a brooder in the garage. BEST.PLACE.HANDS.DOWN.

And next time, try brooding outside.

Brooding outside is not an option for me...for a few reasons. First, none of the building outside that I could use for brooding has electricity. I suppose I could run extension cords, but that doesn't seem too safe to me. Second, I've read horror stories about fires. Third, none of the buildings are predator proof...there are ways to get into every single one of them...even the coop (because I haven't predator-proofed it yet). I would spend the majority of my time checking on them to make sure nothing had any for a snack. I guess I'm just going to have to dust the den every day, and hope hubby doesn't SEE any dust...then he can't complain!

 

[debid]

With the first batch, I used a wooden box with a hardware cloth lid that latched for a brooder. It went on the porch by an outlet so no extension cord and it was predator proof. The porch roof kept the rain out. The second time, we built a grow-out coop and started them in there because they will be merging into an adult flock.

They say necessity is the mother of invention and I think that it's true. I can't have all of that dust around (asthma) so I found a way. If it's really a problem, you will come up with something.

 

[MontanaDolphin]

With the first batch, I used a wooden box with a hardware cloth lid that latched for a brooder. It went on the porch by an outlet so no extension cord and it was predator proof. The porch roof kept the rain out. The second time, we built a grow-out coop and started them in there because they will be merging into an adult flock.

They say necessity is the mother of invention and I think that it's true. I can't have all of that dust around (asthma) so I found a way. If it's really a problem, you will come up with something.

Ugh! We had our front covered porch torn down because it was not to code...it was required by Fannie Mae when we bought our house! That would have been PERFECT! Now we have nothing but some brick steps with a railing where the porch was, and the tiny side "porch" is not covered, and it's too small for the brooder. Hubby plans on rebuilding the porch, but not until we can afford the materials, which probably won't be until next (not this) summer.

 

[Kilsharion]

Wood shavings are frowned upon because they >can cause digestive issues if eaten. It isn't guaranteed that they will.

Strongly aromatic shavings are frowned upon because the aromatic hydrocarbons can cause respiratory issues when exposed in a inadequately ventilated environment for long periods of time. Just like anything exposed to strong fumes (such as ammonia...) without adequate ventilation.

There is some speculation that extended exposure can also lead to liver enzymatic changes that could negatively affect the health of your birds.

Puppy mats work fine and do help cut down the dust, particularly if you change them out twice a day.

Get a couple of air purifiers and put them right next to the brooder. Replace/clean the filters frequently to ensure they continue maximum containment of dust. Should help reduce the dust in the room.

edited to fix weird formatting glitch.

 

[walkerchic]

From personal experience if you use bedding (any type) bought at a store freeze it over night, this will kill lice and mites. I learned this the hard way when my sons rats got mites....so gross (the mites not the rats )

 

[Egghead_Jr]

You can always volunteer to dust the den until the chicks move out. That and offer him a dust mask. It's only for a month and brooding chicks is entertaining enough to be worth the minor inconvenience.

On a side note: I brood on pine shavings.