Oh, my!

[kickenChickens]

Quote:
Then ten min. later the cycle repeats! Start putting dried meal worms in and hiding them in the shavings, thats when the real entertainment begins!

 

[A.T. Hagan]

I haven't used anything but pine shavings for the last ten years. I've brooded hundreds of chicks over those years and have yet to have a problem with a chick eating enough of them to cause problems. No paper towels, no newspapers, nothing. Straight from the incubator or hatchery box onto the shavings. Not a problem.

 

[suzeqf]

i started mine on shavings from day one(got mine as 3 day olds) and didn't use a paper towel but i also use a finer shaving and i've had no issues mine love to dig thru the shavings to get to the food they've split

 

[Anianna]

Quote:
Textured paper towels like Bounty or Brawny will not lead to played legs. Smooth paper towels like those industrial rolls of brown stuff that don't dry anything worth a drip could be a problem and so could newspaper.

I don't see the purpose of using both. I use just paper towels the first few days and then use just shavings. They start scratching and picking pretty quickly and you aren't going to protect them from whatever is under those towels if they can get to it. Since the shavings do not provide a solid surface, it makes it easy for them to peck through towels on top of shavings, making the paper towels pretty much useless.