What kind of bedding in the brooder

[BlueShadow]

What kind of bedding do you use in your brooders? I see lots of pictures of brooders with shavings. I thought shavings were bad for chicks, because they might eat them.

 

[junebuggena]

Shaving are fine once the chicks are eating their feed well. Shavings are cheap and absorbent. Plus, chicks love dusting bathing in them.

 

[zephyricle]

Chicks will eat anything. The shaving are large enough for it to be hard for them. Make sure you do NOT use any form or straw, grass clippings, etc because it'll get stuck in their crop, killing them. Shavings have always been the best for chicks since it's more safe and it's easily changed out

 

[BlueShadow]

So after they are just a couple days old, shavings are okay? That makes my life kind of awesomely easier...

 

[Ol Grey Mare]

Shavings are what I have always used, yet to have an issue with them being eaten. That being said, alternatives are bedding pellets (sold for horse stalls), shavings with paper towels over them, some folks use puppy pads, hay/straw, etc.

 

[Ol Grey Mare]

Chicks will eat anything. The shaving are large enough for it to be hard for them. Make sure you do NOT use any form or straw, grass clippings, etc because it'll get stuck in their crop, killing them. Shavings have always been the best for chicks since it's more safe and it's easily changed out

While impacted crop can occur, straw is generally seen as the least problematic as they are least inclined to eat it beyond picking through to find any stray grains mixed in from whatever was harvested to leave the straw behind. Long grass hay *can* sometimes be eaten, as can grass clippings, etc but, again, impaction is not nearly as common as some think and many folks, myself included have used hay, clippings, etc (all the things you hear dire warnings about) for years and not had a single instance of impaction. In fact, introduction of grass clumps into the brooder can be a good way to start introducing chicks to the local "flora" via the soil clumped at the bottom that they will readily scratch at and comsume, while also grazing on the grasses.

 

[BlueShadow]

Chicks will eat anything. The shaving are large enough for it to be hard for them. Make sure you do NOT use any form or straw, grass clippings, etc because it'll get stuck in their crop, killing them. Shavings have always been the best for chicks since it's more safe and it's easily changed out

I have always used straw and hay, never had a problem. Guess I shouldn't worry about shavings if they are safer.

 

[BlueShadow]

While impacted crop can occur, straw is generally seen as the least problematic as they are least inclined to eat it beyond picking through to find any stray grains mixed in from whatever was harvested to leave the straw behind. Long grass hay *can* sometimes be eaten, as can grass clippings, etc but, again, impaction is not nearly as common as some think and many folks, myself included have used hay, clippings, etc (all the things you hear dire warnings about) for years and not had a single instance of impaction. In fact, introduction of grass clumps into the brooder can be a good way to start introducing chicks to the local "flora" via the soil clumped at the bottom that they will readily scratch at and comsume, while also grazing on the grasses.

Thank you! After that post, I figured the truth was something like this.