Official BYC Poll: What Bedding Do YOU Use in The Brooder?

[pipdzipdnreadytogo]

You could do it with clothes that are not your "good" ones.

If you just need more bulk in the washer to make it work right, you don't even really need to use DIRTY clothes. You could pull out your oldest, most worn/stained/faded things, and throw them in for the purpose. If certain kinds of things work better than others-- like jeans vs. t-shirts-- then of course use ones of the right type.

I worded that weird, what I really meant was my clothes in general not just the particularly good ones or anything. But that is a very good point. Last time, I used old jeans that I hardly wear anyway, so I suppose there's no harm in running them through again even though they're clean now.

 

[rjmyooper]

I accidentally put it twice and couldn’t delete, but let’s just say that’s it!

I don't use sand, but now I think I should be using twice as much as nothing. LOL!

 

[Blooie]

I think it's awesome! Too cold here still, so mine are stuck inside for now.

Mine start out outside even when our springtime chick season temps are still in the 20s and dipping into the teens, with sideways blowing snow. Haven’t lost a chick to cold in 7 years.

I use true deep litter in my coop and run….dried raked up leaves, garden debris and waste..,,just about anything I can find. So consequently my chicks are on the same bedding my adults are on. I do sometimes cover that with straw for the insulating properties if it’s super cold out, since I use Mama Heating Pad, but when the chicks are ready to leave the brooder for good at 4 weeks, I just fork out the majority of the straw and then rake the rest of it into the run for the flock to take care of.

I’ve been without chickens for over a year because we were building our new house on this property and were afraid we’d have to tear down the coop and run, so this new batch of chicks is on pine shavings. Frankly I detest using them because they don’t truly break down, but we don’t exactly have an abundance of dried leaves to rake up at the moment.

 

[HappyClucker7]

I use the flaked pine shavings for both the brooder and my coops. I like the one from TSC because there's no dust in it.

 

[SueT]

I have always used shavings from our hardwood trees, byproduct of cutting wood, we have a lot. I spread it over newspaper so it‘s easy to roll up.
But for my most recent chicks I used sweet PDZ, or horse stall freshener, the same substance I use on the poop boards. It’s zeolite, and keeps down the smell/moisture. It is granular and looks similar to sand. Use a cat litter scoop to sift out the droppings. It supposedly is good for your garden too, so it goes into the compost w the poop. You can buy it packaged for chickens, but it’s cheaper packaged for horses, same product. TSC carries it.

 

[rjmyooper]

I have always used shavings from our hardwood trees, byproduct of cutting wood, we have a lot. I spread it over newspaper so it‘s easy to roll up.
But for my most recent chicks I used sweet PDZ, or horse stall freshener, the same substance I use on the poop boards. It’s zeolite, and keeps down the smell/moisture. It is granular and looks similar to sand. Use a cat litter scoop to sift out the droppings. It supposedly is good for your garden too, so it goes into the compost w the poop. You can buy it packaged for chickens, but it’s cheaper packaged for horses, same product. TSC carries it.View attachment 3128493

I just bought a bag of this hoping it would help, so I'm glad to hear from someone who uses it. Also, I've been thinking of taking empty tubs and garbage cans to one of the many lumber mills around here to get sawdust. I know chainsaw chips are more course than sawdust from making boards, but I think it will still work.

 

[Pampered chicken girl]

I use puppy pad day 0-3, then pine shavings. So far all the chicks I have bought have been 3+ days so I just use pine shavings. They like to scratch and "dust bathe" in them

 

[ChicksnMore]

Alfalfa gleenings...the little stuff left on the ground when the bale is used up.

 

[Duckduckchicken32]

Puppy pads, then pine flakes once they know not to eat the shavings!

 

[Hip Hillbilly Acres]

When they are still very tiny (under 2 weeks old) I use puppy pads. Once they start learning to scratch etc I keep them on pine shavings. It's always worked, I've never had an issue and it works great. I wish I could keep them on puppy pads the whole time but they scratch that top layer off and try to eat the moisture absorbing stuff inside, not a good thing!

Two weeks; I'd better be getting more pads post haste. I go in to work tomorrow, can get some there. Thanks for this share.