Substitute Maple Shavings for Pine?

[shawnj72]

I was wondering if you can Substitute Maple shavings for pine since i work in a hardwood mill..

 

[Fred's Hens]

Of course you could, but hard wood is, well, hard. The cells are tight and it is not as absorbent as soft pine. Hardwood chips do not decay very quickly if your goal is to compost the litter when you are finished. So...... it's you call.

 

[shawnj72]

we have both fine sawdust to 1/4 inch chainsaw chips my plan was to use sand when they get older but when they are younger i was going to use maple shavings and put it in the garden in the fall..

 

[crazyhen]

I was told not to use hardwood shaving because of a particular type of mold that gets on it and not pine.

I did not research it myself. Gloria Jean

 

[Nambroth]

There is a higher risk of problems relating to Aspergillosis when using hardwoods. Aspergillosis spores are present pretty much everywhere, it's just that hardwoods can promote the growth of it in great amounts, and so the risk is elevated. It is up to you if the risk is worth it or not (everything we do has minor to major calculated risks!). Note that it is generally believed that hardwoods that are not kiln dried are a much higher risk. Of course, no matter what the bedding is, keeping it dry helps to reduce spores of any type!

Here is some reading so that you can decide.

http://www.ces.ncsu.edu/depts/poulsci/tech_manuals/litter_mgmt_turkeys.pdf
http://www.merckvetmanual.com/mvm/htm/bc/206100.htm
http://www.thepoultrysite.com/articles/491/the-home-flock