**DO NOT USE PELLET BEDDING**DO NOT USE PELLET BEDDING**DO NOT USE PELLET BEDDING**
Very sad and expensive lesson learned this past week for me. We wanted to cut back on all of the dust in our laundry/brooder room from using regular shavings and have heard so many great reviews from those that use the pine pellet bedding that we figured we would give it a try. This week I have lost at least 12 chicks in three different brooders and have at least 5 more that I don't hold much hope for.
At first I thought oh no, cocci, and had started treating every one with Sulmet and medicated food. Well after days of no one getting better and still more chicks dying, I'm talking chicks in separate brooders of different breeds and ages who do not come in contact with others from different brooders still continuing to die I had to ask myself what they have in common.... The Bedding!!
It is a company out of Cherryville so close enough for DH to go investigate this week. Smelled the bag today and it has a strong chemical smell. I am not 100% positive that it is the bedding but I am 90% sure as nothing else seems to fit. Bouncing chicks one day and gone the next.
I just came to this conclusion this morning so all day I have been one by one bleaching every brooder, cleaning every feed and water dish and rebedding with regular shavings. All are still in medicated feed and those that seem to be the sickest have had some drops of polyvisol. We have vacuumed the entire room walls and all, and will be disinfecting the hatcher before the nights over (just in case). If this doesn't work that I will be just totally dumbfounded.
So warning to everyone - DO NOT USE PELLET BEDDING!!!!
Very sad and expensive lesson learned this past week for me. We wanted to cut back on all of the dust in our laundry/brooder room from using regular shavings and have heard so many great reviews from those that use the pine pellet bedding that we figured we would give it a try. This week I have lost at least 12 chicks in three different brooders and have at least 5 more that I don't hold much hope for.
It is a company out of Cherryville so close enough for DH to go investigate this week. Smelled the bag today and it has a strong chemical smell. I am not 100% positive that it is the bedding but I am 90% sure as nothing else seems to fit. Bouncing chicks one day and gone the next.
I just came to this conclusion this morning so all day I have been one by one bleaching every brooder, cleaning every feed and water dish and rebedding with regular shavings. All are still in medicated feed and those that seem to be the sickest have had some drops of polyvisol. We have vacuumed the entire room walls and all, and will be disinfecting the hatcher before the nights over (just in case). If this doesn't work that I will be just totally dumbfounded.
So warning to everyone - DO NOT USE PELLET BEDDING!!!!
