Pellet bedding first time user

[KellyJ74]

Hello Chicken Hive Mind
First off, I'm a new chicken mom. I've got 5 week old chicks and my daughter has been having a reaction to the pine shavings in the brooder. I know pellets are basically crushed pine, but I'm curious if the difference in how it's processed will help my daughter. After reading different opinions on alternative bedding for our chickens, I decided to give pellet bedding a shot. I read that it's a good idea to soak the pellets, which I did, at 1 this afternoon, (I'm in El Paso, TX) spread it out but it was still damp at 7pm even though I left it outside in the sun. Clearly, I over watered, but is it common for it to take a while to actually dry out? I wanted to put it in my brooders, but it has a damp feel, not wet, just damp. I'm not about putting my babies at risk, so it's still outside. Unfortunately, I had to use solid pellets in one brooder, which the ladies in it were not super crazy about the new feel of their bedding they've been pretty vocal about it.
In the future, when I soak the pellets, is there a ratio of pellets to water to maybe not make it so drenched so it can dry quicker? Or does it just take 24 hours to completely dry?
On a side note, I've never posted an article, so the picture is of one of my brooders.

 

[SandyRiverChick]

That just doesn't sound like the best solution considering it's best to keep chicken's dry and the hassle of soaking pellets just to get sub-par conditions would have me trying pretty much anything else. What about hemp chicken bedding, flock fresh (chopped up straw and hay,) or sand..... ? I've used all of the above but I've never even considered pellets. Good Luck!!

 

[Pampered chicken girl]

That just doesn't sound like the best solution considering it's best to keep chicken's dry and the hassle of soaking pellets just to get sub-par conditions would have me trying pretty much anything else. What about hemp chicken bedding, flock fresh (chopped up straw and hay,) or sand..... ? I've used all of the above but I've never even considered pellets. Good Luck!!

All of those are good options, chopped straw is good to. You can try puppy pads to, but they have to be replaced more often then other options

 

[ChickyCh00k]

I have hemp (Eaton Pet & Pasture - can be found on Chewy) in my brooder. Works great! It's dry, virtually dust-free, and there's no smell. Like Sandy mentioned, having to wet bedding before using it sounds REALLY counterintuitive. Good luck!

 

[KellyJ74]

That just doesn't sound like the best solution considering it's best to keep chicken's dry and the hassle of soaking pellets just to get sub-par conditions would have me trying pretty much anything else. What about hemp chicken bedding, flock fresh (chopped up straw and hay,) or sand..... ? I've used all of the above but I've never even considered pellets. Good Luck!!

Sand is what I think I'll end up getting. This was a pain in the rump.

 

[LizGio]

Sand is what I think I'll end up getting. This was a pain in the rump.

Make sure you get the right kind

 

[NatJ]

I read that it's a good idea to soak the pellets, which I did, at 1 this afternoon, (I'm in El Paso, TX) spread it out but it was still damp at 7pm even though I left it outside in the sun. Clearly, I over watered, but is it common for it to take a while to actually dry out? I wanted to put it in my brooders, but it has a damp feel, not wet, just damp. I'm not about putting my babies at risk, so it's still outside.

You could try mixing the wet material with some more dry pellets.

In the future, when I soak the pellets, is there a ratio of pellets to water to maybe not make it so drenched so it can dry quicker? Or does it just take 24 hours to completely dry?

I've had a little experience with pine pellets. They seem to fall apart if they just get damp. So you could add just a little water and wait, and they will puff up a bit and start to come apart. If they don't come apart enough, add a little more water and wait again. You could measure the water, to fine-tune the amount for future.

I had to use solid pellets in one brooder, which the ladies in it were not super crazy about the new feel of their bedding they've been pretty vocal about it.

Chickens tend not to like change. They might be fine after they have a day or so to get used to it, or they might always be unhappy about the way whole pellets feel. Some of the pellets will probably start to come apart just from the moisture of the chick droppings, but most of them will probably keep their shape for a while.

https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/pelletized-bedding-shavings.76365/
Here is one article that talks about using pellets for chicken bedding. That person did not soak the pellets, or do anything else to make them come apart, just used them in their original pelleted form.