Shavings / Pellets

[jmtcmkb]

I have read so many positive things here on BYC about pellets I decided to try them for my now 3 week old chicks. I went to the pellets straight from paper towels on day 4 I think it was. Anyway, I went to my local feed store yesterday and the owner cautioned me, he said I should switch to shavings because soon the chicks will be eating chicken pellets and will become confused. Do you think this is true? They do pick through them now and I am sure they are eating some of the saw dust as the pellets break down, they scratch in them eat and also dust bath in the saw dust. I know they know where their food is, every morning I turn on the light and they run to the feeder like crazy ladies and of course eat non stop all day

Do I really need to switch to shavings? I know there are 100's of people on this site that have used pellets succesfully for a long time, thoughts? BYW I am using horse bedding pellets.

 

[chfite]

I don't know about others, but my chickens appear to be able to tell food from everything else.

Chris

 

[Mudsow]

I used pellets for a long time, also liked the newspaper pellets. (like yesterdays news cat litter) My chicken always did fine. The only thing that I DID have an issue with was when I tried using "sweet wheat" cat litter, it was wheat hulls... MISTAKE, she was eating faster than I could say OH CRAP, and scoop them back out!

 

[mommissan]

So, horse bedding pine pellets are okay? I've been avoiding it for that reason-looks like layer pellets. Hmmm I guess I don't eat the plastic fruit on displays either.

I guess I don't give chickens enough credit.

 

[tresgallina3]

I am new to the back yard chicks but I have used pine pellets since day one. I really don't think it matters. I have asked the same questions to the people who work at the feed store. If you have a mobile coop using the shavings helps to make the coop lighter in weight when moving the coop. It is harder to clean the shavings.

But be warned...I made the mistake in using the pine pellets for pellet burning stoves. The pellets did not have any additives but they were really dirty!!! And they did not smell "fresh" like bedding pine pellets. I have since cleand out the old stinky, dirty pellets and replaced with the clean freash smelling pellets.

I don't know if the Hen's are happier but I am.

 

[tresgallina3]

As to my Hen's being confused about eating food pellets vs pine pellets, the pine pellets are so much bigger that they don't bother them. My Hen's don't really scratch and peck in their bedding, they do that in the run. I also have plants in my yard that are poisonious to chickens and they stay away from them. I once told my husband, "chickens have been around for thousands of years and they know what to eat and what not to eat, otherwise they would have become like their cousins, not on this planet any longer."

 

[gale65]

We used the horse pellets when our chicks were babies. No problems here.