Switched to pine pellets....They are the greatest thing in the world!!

[braedandhalshens]

I switched to pine pellets two days ago, they are mixed with carbon. I got them at TSC, and I gotta say, these are the best things ever. No smell at all (and I mean none). I am gonna work on a custom made scooper to clean poop out, just a tad too big to fit through a litter scoop. Chicks love to scratch them around. Also only a dollar more for a bag and they cover more. Highly recommended.

 

[SuziQ991]

I use pellets in my horse stalls and love them. Of course horses are much harder on them than chickens. I have thought about putting them in the coop. Let us know what you use to scoop the poop.

 

[GGchick]

I use them with my chicks too. As the chicks have grown, they have figured out how to scratch them until they are sawdust, then they take dirt baths in them. It's cute! Although I do worry they will ingest the sawdust. They peck around in it.

 

[BeccaOH]

Each time I use these in my brooders (plastic storage boxes and in a plastic kiddie pool) I've ended up with mold developing on the bottom near where the water is set and by the light where the chicks lay most. When they break up, the sawdust can pack down tight and lock in the moisture. I don't seem to have that issue with just pine shavings.

 

[Wynette]

I have been using them in my brooder (use them for my horses but have always used shavings for the chooks). They work great for me, I'm not finding any mold/wetness issues at all, and I don't even feel the need to scoop poops out - because the pellets are so absorbent, they sort of absorb up the poops. It's rather interesting!

I will say I like the thought of the shavings much better; I just feel like they must be much softer, and the babies just love to play "keep away" with the big shavings, and I love watching them play tha little game. But...in the end, I have to save where I can and use what's the most effective.

 

[joebryant]

I liked them at first, but when they turned to sawdust they were slow to dry from any moisture. Also they're super heavy when you're ready to clean the coop. I went back to and will stay with pine shavings, much easier to work with.

 

[Brahmamama4]

I've used pine pellets as well from the beginning and have loved it. I just use the deep litter method with them and put a new layer on as needed. The smell is very minimal and the chicks stay very clean. I also haven't had any problems with mold growing. I only have 3 chicks though, maybe it's worse with larger amounts of birds?

 

[Boo-Boo's Mama]

I have pine shavings in the tray of one Chick-n-Hutch...sand in another and in one brooder (Rubbermaid container) but am still using the pellets in the tray of our bunny. They do a great job absorbing her urine.

I will be looking for a different scoop with screen to clean the sand in the tray in the hutches and may use this in the coop when we get it ready. It seems to absorb the moisture from the poo plus any sand mixed in the poo will not require nitrogen to break down in the compost pile like pellets or shavings. I think the sand will last much longer than the others.