Pine Pellets vs. Pine Shavings

[coopintheburbs]

Are there any advantages or disadvantages to either pellets or shavings in the brooder? What do YOU use as bedding for your babies?

 

[Little Chicken Girl]

Interested to see what others have to say about both beddings. Below is a comparison from own experiences with Shavings vs Pellets:

Benefits of Shavings:

• My peeps where always more comfortable in shavings.
• My peeps where always more motivated to scratch in shavings. They did or could not scratch in pellets.
• Where I live, shavings are cheaper.
• Pine shavings smell nice.

Benefits of Pellets:

• Shavings travel from the brooder more (since they're lighter, they get flung or misplaced and are therefore harder to keep confined to the brooder area). Pellets stay in the brooder.
• Pellets are less likely to get piled up in corners of the brooder (once my chicks got to about 3 wks, they started scratching and making piles in the shavings... leaving bare spots of just brooder box floor).
• Pellets are better for air quality than fine shavings (so I have heard). They reputedly do not have as many fine particles that get kicked up and inhaled.

In all, I think there are positives and negatives to both. However, I also think it somewhat depends on what kind of shavings are being compared (fine/small or slightly courser/larger).

 

[Crazy for Chickens!]

I use shavings. They are smooth, and very absorbent.

 

[Ruralhideaway]

Pellets once they break down as they are meant to will be more airborne. They are actually compressed fine sawdust. I love to add a bit to my coop in the hope of helping control humidity. Good to dry up fresh wet sand in the dust bath or soak up spills too.

No experience in the brooder.

 

[Blooms&Brood]

Hi, I have used both in the brooder. I prefer shavings for weeks 1-4 and pellets for weeks 4-8 than outside to the coop or chicken tractor they go. The type of shavings you use will determine how much dust you get. I've recently started using Marth Pine Wood shavings from Menards. They are very low dust and super compressed; a really money and time savers. The are also SUPER soft for chicks. I use pine pellets from TSC and make sure to have three or more roosting bars in the brooder plus alfalfa at one end for the chicks to scratch in. You could sub for straw. The nice thing is you can rake the straw without disturbing the pine pellets and I find they keep the smell to a minimum. I am considering using pine pellets in my coop once the weather warms up. I currently do the deep litter method in my coop with a blend of straw, raked leaves (including bald cypress) and found if turned frequently offers little to no smell in the coop.