New chicks: pine shavings ok from day one?

[Mutchi]

We did pine shavings day one, they were fine.

 

[BigBlueHen53]

You're right, there are a lot of different schools of thought on this, and pretty much any other topic you care to bring up. The good news is, chicks are tough and resilient. They survive pretty much anything we throw at them.

I use puppy pads only for about the first week. Then I offer chick grit, and about three days later I introduce dried meal worms. I change the pads daily, of course. Then I add pine chips. They don't seem to eat many because worms are better, and I don't worry about it because of the grit. They don't die. Good luck! ❤

 

[Sassy Hen]

It’s OK for chicks to eat pine shavings. I have 7 hens that always snack on the shavings when they are in the nesting boxes and they have never had issues with the shavings even when they were chicks.