pine shavings vs. newspaper?

[Wileyps1]

ok i'm a bit of a newb to this. i have raised phesants but not peeps. my question is why cant ya use just newspaper in the brooder instead of pine shavings? I see alot of post about how messy the pine shavings are with it getting in the waterers and being thrown all over. my new peeps this mornin decided to pile it on the waterer and it acted like a wick and soaked everything aound it. if it was just newspaper they wouldnt be able to do that. any answer or opinions would be apprciated. Thanks, Greg

 

[Sassafras]

I have heard that newspaper is too slippery and can cause leg problems. I put my waterer up on a block of 2" x 4" wood and the problem with shaving in the water is minimal. It smells nice and the shavings are warmer for them and dry up the little poops. I just put on a latex glove and pick them out by hand into an old bucket. I'm dumping them into my compost pile with the dirty water on top to start the decomposition.

 

[FMAFarms]

Newspaper is fine for a liner in the brooder, but for young chicks it does not offer enough traction for the leg muscles to build properly. Too slick a surface means you end up with a bunch of chicks with splayed-leg syndrome. Pine shavings on top of newspaper works great. So do paper shreds on top of newspaper. But newspaper alone isn't good for the chicks. Plus, for new hatches, you'll want paper towels on top of everything for even more traction.

If your chicks are past the paper towel stage, then the pine shavings also give them the chance to practice scratching and digging, two instinctive behaviors they need once they are out in the run. With just newspapers, there's nothing to scratch or dig and the chicks will grow bored and peck at each other. Pine shavings also affords them a quick version of a dust bath when those feathers start coming in.

 

[Wileyps1]

Is there any sort of time line for when to stop using the paper towels and goin to the pine shavings? gonna put the 2x4 idea to use also.

 

[Sassafras]

I got my chicks from a feed store and they had got them in that day. They had half of them on shavings so I just put down one area of paper towels with some feed on it over shavings. They got the idea of how to use the feeder that day so out came the paper towels. Also, I only fill up the water 1/3 of the way so it is not top heavy.

 

[Teeah3612]

I work in an office and have access to lots of shredded paper. Could you use this in the brooder?

 

[chickst]

We have been using pine shavings and we never used paper towels nor newspapers. Chicks have been happy with the setting and we didn't see any problems. I think it provides enough tractions. The smell is good too.

 

[Wileyps1]

Ok gottcha. im away from the house for work about 10 hours so unfortunately i dont think i can get away with 1/3 full idea. i think i have my game plan, thank you all for the help and ideas. Greg

 

[Wileyps1]

Teeah, look up at FMAFarms post at the top, they say about using shreaded paper.

 

[Marylizbet]

Newspaper (shredded) is working fine for me. It's free, and tearing it up isn't a big deal. I haven't had leg problems, and since it's shredded, there is a lot of grip. If I was rich, I probably would have just bought pine shavings, but I would rather make my own bedding.