Pine Pellet bedding

[kristen2678]

Do any of you use this for your ducks/geese? Thoughts? Do they try to eat them? The shavings are ok but I'd like to find a better solution if there is one.

Thanks.

 

[Going Quackers]

Quite a few here do including a mod.. i'd do a search. I am planning too, i am familiar with them from using them with the horses... i am buying a bag this weekend for the ducks.

 

[jdywntr]

I add them in with pine shavings. I used them once exclusively with 6 Rouen ducklings. They smelled better for longer and weren't as dusty but there were a number of times that I would find the ducklings with the broken down saw dust in their eyes. In the morning sometimes it was crusted in their.
After that, I started adding them in with pine shavings and it helped keep the wettness and smell down. I even used that with cornish cross chicks and they are worse than ducklings, messy wise. It worked great. The pellets will form a clump when wet, like cat litter, so it is very easy to scoop out wet areas.
Here the pellets cost the same as a bale of shavings, $4 so they are much cheaper than I was paying.

 

[Going Quackers]

I add them in with pine shavings. I used them once exclusively with 6 Rouen ducklings. They smelled better for longer and weren't as dusty but there were a number of times that I would find the ducklings with the broken down saw dust in their eyes. In the morning sometimes it was crusted in their.
After that, I started adding them in with pine shavings and it helped keep the wettness and smell down. I even used that with cornish cross chicks and they are worse than ducklings, messy wise. It worked great. The pellets will form a clump when wet, like cat litter, so it is very easy to scoop out wet areas.
Here the pellets cost the same as a bale of shavings, $4 so they are much cheaper than I was paying.

YOur fortunate they are less, here a bag of shavings is 5$ and pellets run higher.. 7$ i think? i'd have to check a receipt, i also dual mix them for my horses.

 

[Miss Lydia]

YOur fortunate they are less, here a bag of shavings is 5$ and pellets run higher.. 7$ i think? i'd have to check a receipt, i also dual mix them for my horses.

Pine shaving here at our feed store are 5.50 have to look into the price for pellets.

 

[kristen2678]

They don't try to eat them?

 

[Miss Lydia]

They don't try to eat them?

When i have ducklings in a brooder [not with mama] I put the pine shaving down then cover with the rubber shelf liner till about 2 weeks old. the shelf liner is washable and gives good traction under foot and usually by the time they are 2 weeks old they know what food is and won't eat the shavings.

 

[kristen2678]

I meant the pellets. Since they look like thier food I'm wondering if they would eat them.

 

[Miss Lydia]

I meant the pellets. Since they look like thier food I'm wondering if they would eat them.

I would think you'd deff have to cover them till they were older, I know I would, I'm not sure how fast they break down either. I'm thinking of trying it but I'll mix mine into the shavings.

 

[jdywntr]

I meant the pellets. Since they look like thier food I'm wondering if they would eat them.

When I used them exclusively, I covered them for 2-3 days with day olds. No I just toss them in. The chickens come running but they always come running when I toss anything.
The pellets are big, bigger than layer pellets. They nibble at them but they nibble at everything. They breakdown quickly when very wet. If a waterer spilled, they would break down. They break down to what looks like sawdust but it will clump.