I'm afraid to take away the paper towels !!!

[MissJenny]

It is nerve-wracking to first see them peck at pine shavings... but then nobody dies and it's all good. Paper towels are a lot of work and not fun. With pine shavings they can scratch and dust bathe and flip them at one another. The poop sort of gets buried in it so their feet stay cleaner -- all the way around it is a good thing.

Jenny

 

[Chicken D's mom]

I love pine shavings! My chicks like to play "keep away" with a bit of pine shaving. Fun to watch!

 

[MeNMyGirls]

I'm worried too! I have 8 babies (my very first EVER!!!) and I'm terrified to take out the papertowels! Right now they are on papertowels laid over pine shavings and when I switch out the paper, they run around and appear to be eating the shavings! Is it ok for them to eat some? The bigger girls (3 EE & 1 Polish) probably could handle a bit, but I have a tiny Bantam Frizzle Cochin who us a complete little piggy and eats everything......I'm afraid of the shavings!!!!

 

[scbatz33]

Quote:
I was the same way when I first started. I was paranoid they would eat all the shavings and I'd have a box of dead babies. But they don't and you won't and it's neater and cleaner and easier......switch, you'll wonder why you ever used the stupid things to begin with!

And, FYI, I never do paper towels anymore. They come out of the hatcher right to the brooder covered in pine shavings.. They aren't dumb, they know what is food and what isn't. Not like a puppy that will literally eat everything!!

 

[MiniBeesKnees]

I put mine on pine shavings today...I removed the paper towels I was using. They are two days old. No issues, everything is fine.

 

[chickenriot]

Quote:
I used aspen chips with my hookbills a few years ago so they're non toxic and don't have any type of aromatic oils like cedar. Thanks for your input.

 

[chickenriot]

Quote:
Thank you for the reassurance. I guess I'm just overly nervous since I've lost one silkie already and the other small silkie has had slow crop issues. I may wait another week on them and change the 25 barred rocks to shavings because they are growing like crazy and it's a huge job to replace paper towels twice a day.

 

[chickenriot]

Quote:
Boy ! I hear ya about the smell !!! They will be changed today.

Thank you for responding.

 

[chickenriot]

Quote:
Thanks for the advice. I really appreciate it.

 

[rancher hicks]

My guess is that folks who attribute problems to pine shavings are mistaken and there is another culprit to blame. Never had a problem.


Sleep tight, don't let the bed bugs bite.

Rancher