Paper towels VS Pine shaving

[SilkieChickenLover336]

Which one do you like?

Good about paper towels: Absorbent, chicks can easliy walk on it
Good about pine shaving: Aborbent, low dust

Bad thing about paper towels: you can see how much they poop
Bad thing about pine shaving: it is a giant hassle to clean, chicks can eat it and die

 

[33yardbirds]

Paper towels for 24 hrs, till they find the feed, then I pull the towels off the pine shavings and then watch them scratch and make a mess.

 

[Fred's Hens]

Old school. I actually prefer good old fashioned straw. But, good clean, yellow straw is not easy to come by, in some places. It goes further and lasts longer. I've used chips, but if you do, make sure you get the super large ones, not the saw dust type. The latter are really awful.

 

[Majestic Lane Poultry]

Paper towels for the first two weeks. Easy to change and I never have to move the chicks out of their brooder totes to change out the dirty for the clean.

 

[Sorin]

I don't use either, I use sand! Actually I have only used it for a few days but so far it's been great!

I use a hand held sieve to clean it. I keep a little trash can next to the brooder and it takes me about 30 seconds a day to sift out the poop. So far the smell has been good, as in not smelly!

 

[SilkieChickenLover336]

i personally like the paper towels because it is easy to clean! i also like when i take them out for the first couple of weeks and they love scratching the ground!

 

[txhomegrown]

Quote:
x2

 

[sunny & the 5 egg layers]

I like the sand idea. It sounds easier to clean. But I have used pine shavings. I didnt even think about using sand. Great idea! I think I am going to start using it!

 

[Sorin]

sunny & the 5 egg layers :

I like the sand idea. It sounds easier to clean. But I have used pine shavings. I didnt even think about using sand. Great idea! I think I am going to start using it!

I bought childrens play sand from the hardware store, not the colored stuff. You do have to put it in several days before you get your chicks so it dries out in time.​

 

[A.T. Hagan]

Straight onto pine shavings. No paper towels or anything else.