New chicks arrive next week! Sand or pine shavings as bedding?

[sarahandbray]

Where does one get wood shavings? We have a Tractor Supply 5 minutes up the road, luckily! Have never really had much of a reason to go in there before, but it was pretty easy finding the stuff I needed for the baby chicks!
Sarah

 

[texaschickyall]

For what it's worth, I have read that PINE shavings are not good for very young chicks, perhaps because of the aromatic vapors they release under all that heat.  Regular WOOD shavings are great, and that is what we use with our chicks when they're in the brooder.

I've only heard this about cedar as well. All I've ever used is pine and have had zero respiratory problems with my chicks. I'm also curious what type you are talking about. WOOD is a pretty broad term. The shavings choices we have available at our feed stores are pine or cedar.

 

[TheGeekySheep]

Where does one get wood shavings? We have a Tractor Supply 5 minutes up the road, luckily! Have never really had much of a reason to go in there before, but it was pretty easy finding the stuff I needed for the baby chicks!
Sarah

You can find them at Tractor Supply. They have 2.5 cubic foot bags (which expands when they fluff out).

Now I have a question for people here: Do y'all use the "fine" pine shavings or the flake pine shavings? The flake shavings say they cover more area, but I bought the pine because it seemed like they'd break down in the compost bin quicker. Opinions, preferences?

 

[Buddycat]

You can find them at Tractor Supply.  They have 2.5 cubic foot bags (which expands when they fluff out).

Now I have a question for people here:  Do y'all use the "fine" pine shavings or the flake pine shavings?  The flake shavings say they cover more area, but I bought the pine because it seemed like they'd break down in the compost bin quicker.  Opinions, preferences?

We use pine but they don't seem to be breaking down in the composter. They've been in there at least 3 months & still not ready to use. We're going to switch to rice hulls & see if it breaks down any better. Rice hulls are supposed to be really good for clay soil which we have. Anyone tried the rice hulls - opinions?

 

[kittydoc]

We also get our generic "wood" shavings from Tractor Supply. They don't have any scent. We use the pretty big flakes in the brooder so the chicks can't eat them. It's the only place we personally use shavings of any kind. We use straw in the main coop.

 

[TheGeekySheep]

We use pine but they don't seem to be breaking down in the composter. They've been in there at least 3 months & still not ready to use. We're going to switch to rice hulls & see if it breaks down any better. Rice hulls are supposed to be really good for clay soil which we have. Anyone tried the rice hulls - opinions?

I think mine must break down quicker because the shavings are the only source of browns in my compost. Everything else is greens: chicken poop, kitchen scraps, egg shells, clippings.

 

[YardBird192]

After our first experience with chicks, we bought a large rabbit cage from tractor supply for all our new babies as they came. It is their home inside for two weeks while we give them frequent care, watch for problems, and give them time to know us. For the first few days, I put a small pile of Timothy hay or regular horse hay ( not wheat straw) on one end. A few chicks up to four days old will lay in it, most are too busy. I secure a branch through the cage on the other end and by day four, most on sleeping on the roost. Easy clean up, poo falls through the small grid onto newspaper that I has been sprinkled with baking soda. I give them an area on the floor with newspaper to play fight and stretch those wings while I clean the cage. I use the disinfecting wipes to wipe down the floor grid while they are out. After two weeks, they know me and we move them to a brooder outside (off the ground with small hardware wire) to grow more before they get to the big coop. That $40 cage has been money well spent especially since 50-60 chicks have been in it since we bought it.

 

[CrazyTalk]

I think mine must break down quicker because the shavings are the only source of browns in my compost. Everything else is greens: chicken poop, kitchen scraps, egg shells, clippings.

It sounds like the OP is probably nitrogen starved, whereas you're carbon starved.

I'm dumping shavings and straw from the ducks, chickens, geese, and sheep into the compost all the time, and food waste from just our house (the ducks are gross. Need their bedding replaced regularly) - and mine break down slowly - I'm nitrogen starved.

 

[Oliveroblong]

Hello there!
I have been researching this as well. I have always used pine shavings but am considering sand now. Just found this article via the Chicken Chick. She stresses that PLAY SAND IS NOT GOOD for chicks/chickens because of the silica content and the possibility of respiratory issues; washed construction grade sand or river sand is recommended: "Sandbox play sand," river sand and construction grade sand are better choices as they contain sharper, larger, various sized pieces and less silica".
Here is a link to the article. Why reinvent the wheel? This lady does her research!
http://www.the-chicken-chick.com/2012/09/chicken-coop-bedding-sand-litter.html

Best wishes!
-A fellow chicken slave