What to put on the floor of a brooder!!!!

[rosemarythyme]

It may not be, but I feel like grass clippings as bedding may be an overload.

I wouldn't use them myself, but for me it's more fear of impaction (as I don't mow enough to keep clippings short) than exposure to outside pathogens. For the same reason I wouldn't use fine shavings, as chicks seem too inclined to eat them, which runs the same risk.

 

[BastyPutt]

but for me it's more fear of impaction

Good point. Even short clippings could be too much for a chick.

 

[gtaus]

Newspaper is not ideal bc of the ink- I can’t reference that claim but believe seversl yimes mentioned on BYC as a less desirable option.

3 years ago, I used free wood chips and they worked fine. Last year, I used free paper shreds I made at home and I think they were even better. Our newspapers use soy based inks, so nothing toxic there and the paper is ready to compost. Shredded paper is practically dust free and much lighter than wood chips. I kept my paper shreds in the brooder for the entire 8 weeks, starting out with only an inch or two and then adding a fresh thin layer of paper shreds as required once or twice a week.

I thought about just leaving the floor of the brooder uncovered with out any type of covering the floor is plywood and the brooder is attached to the coop off the ground.

I would use brooder litter of some kind to protect the plywood floor and to make it less slippery for the chicks. If you don't use some kind of covering and/or litter, then you most likely will have to replace the plywood after the brooding period. All that chicken poo will get soaked into the plywood and you will never get it clean or smelling good again. At least, no way that I'm aware of getting the smell out.

 

[NorthwoodsChick]

Our newspapers use soy based inks, so nothing toxic

Oh, That’s wonderful. I didn’t know about soy ink- thanks for sharing

 

[MartaKuz]

We love hemp! It stays dry and keeps order down! We also use it for deep litter method in our coop.

Hemp is my favorite too. I've tried all different things in the brooder and everything is just so hard to clean but the hemp absorbs better and keeps their feet cleaner, if that's possible lol, and they seem to love digging through it. It it's smaller than pine shaving so it doesn't get stuck on them. Very soft. I use a paper towel too like everyone else in the first few days so they can get their footing and they seem to like laying on it when they sleep

 

[gtaus]

Hemp is my favorite too. I've tried all different things in the brooder and everything is just so hard to clean but the hemp absorbs better and keeps their feet cleaner, if that's possible lol, and they seem to love digging through it. It it's smaller than pine shaving so it doesn't get stuck on them. Very soft.

I have never tried hemp as litter. I have not seen it for sale around where I live. In any case, I'm all into using free resouces for litter.

From what I understand, hemp is a great absorbent product, and it smells sweet. Very nice for the coop or the brooder. I used free wood chips for a few years, and that worked great, but it did not have much of a smell. I chipped up some fresh pine branches and it smelled wonderful in the coop for about a week. Very nice. Over time, I have come to use shredded paper, which has no smell.

I keep my chicks in the brooder for 8 weeks. There was no need to clean the paper shreds. I just start off with an inch or two of fresh paper shreds and then add more paper shreds on top of the old shreds as needed. By the end of 8 weeks, I had about 5 inches of paper shreds in the brooder and only at that time was everything removed and tossed into my composting. No daily, or even weekly cleanings required if you use the deep litter method.

Over time, I have learned when I can get by with just fluffing up the deep bedding or when it needs a fresh layer on top of the old. In any case, the old litter remains in the brooder until the end of the 8 weeks. That greatly reduces the amount of work I have to do with the chicks and they seem to do very well with that system.

30+ years ago, when I first started getting chicks, I thought I had to clean out the brooder litter daily. It was a lot of work. Using the deep bedding method, I have eliminated all that daily work and now only clean out the brooder once after the 8 weeks and the chicks are moved to the main coop. That has allowed me to enjoy getting new chicks in my advancing years. If I worked as hard as when I was younger, I don't think I'd have the energy. In any case, I discovered a better way for me that requires almost no work and yet keeps the chicks clean and healthy.

When I used wood chips, I did it the same way - starting off with a small layer of wood chips and toss in fresh wood chips as needed.

I discovered that for 8 weeks in the brooder, there was never a reason for me to clean it as the deep litter method basically automagically absorbs and hides the baby chick poo. I suggest picking a brooder litter that you can use as deep bedding. If you are cleaning the brooder daily, or even weekly, then I think you could find a better deep litter resource.

FWIW, in the main coop, I also use paper shreds as deep bedding and the coop only gets cleaned out twice a year - once in the spring after the snow melts, and then late in fall right before we start to get snow again. It's the deep bedding method that is the magic and you can use a number of different resources for the litter.

 

[Chipmunk Chicks]

I have never tried hemp as litter. I have not seen it for sale around where I live. In any case, I'm all into using free resouces for litter.

From what I understand, hemp is a great absorbent product, and it smells sweet. Very nice for the coop or the brooder. I used free wood chips for a few years, and that worked great, but it did not have much of a smell. I chipped up some fresh pine branches and it smelled wonderful in the coop for about a week. Very nice. Over time, I have come to use shredded paper, which has no smell.

I keep my chicks in the brooder for 8 weeks. There was no need to clean the paper shreds. I just start off with an inch or two of fresh paper shreds and then add more paper shreds on top of the old shreds as needed. By the end of 8 weeks, I had about 5 inches of paper shreds in the brooder and only at that time was everything removed and tossed into my composting. No daily, or even weekly cleanings required if you use the deep litter method.

Over time, I have learned when I can get by with just fluffing up the deep bedding or when it needs a fresh layer on top of the old. In any case, the old litter remains in the brooder until the end of the 8 weeks. That greatly reduces the amount of work I have to do with the chicks and they seem to do very well with that system.

30+ years ago, when I first started getting chicks, I thought I had to clean out the brooder litter daily. It was a lot of work. Using the deep bedding method, I have eliminated all that daily work and now only clean out the brooder once after the 8 weeks and the chicks are moved to the main coop. That has allowed me to enjoy getting new chicks in my advancing years. If I worked as hard as when I was younger, I don't think I'd have the energy. In any case, I discovered a better way for me that requires almost no work and yet keeps the chicks clean and healthy.

When I used wood chips, I did it the same way - starting off with a small layer of wood chips and toss in fresh wood chips as needed.

I discovered that for 8 weeks in the brooder, there was never a reason for me to clean it as the deep litter method basically automagically absorbs and hides the baby chick poo. I suggest picking a brooder litter that you can use as deep bedding. If you are cleaning the brooder daily, or even weekly, then I think you could find a better deep litter resource.

FWIW, in the main coop, I also use paper shreds as deep bedding and the coop only gets cleaned out twice a year - once in the spring after the snow melts, and then late in fall right before we start to get snow again. It's the deep bedding method that is the magic and you can use a number of different resources for the litterthis

I love this advice!

I use hemp in my coop for deep bedding and I love it. I would use the same if I had an outdoor or in-coop brooder setup.

I would also look into a source for shredded paper though, (or wood chips for deep litter.) I am using small animal paper bedding in my brooder this year, and I love it! I used paper towels the first few days while they got their feet under them, and then the paper. Much less dusty than shavings.

 

[gtaus]

I would also look into a source for shredded paper though, (or wood chips for deep litter.)

Over the past 2 years, I bought about 3 paper shredders from our local charity church thrift shop for less than $5.00 each. I just shred all our junk mail, newspapers, printer paper, and light weight cardboard from food boxes, etc... That makes enough shredded paper for my needs.

Some people get shredded paper from their offices. Saves the company money on garbage disposal and is a great use for the shredded paper instead of ending up in a landfill.

Shredded cardboard works good, too, but my small paper shredders would not last very long if I was shredding packing box cardboard all the time. I can use the slot in the middle for credit cards, so I can easily shred strips of heavy cardboard - but it takes me a while to cut the cardboard into strips. I don't do that very often.

I used to get free wood chips at our local county landfill. It only takes me about 20 minutes to fork in a full utility trailer full of wood chips that will last me for years. I also have a small electric wood chipper and a larger gas wood chipper for use at home, but it really takes a long time to chip up wood that way. Maybe 8 hours of chipping wood at home to make as much wood chips as I can load out in 20 minutes at the country landfill.

I don't use wood chips in the coop as deep bedding any more now that I have switched to using paper shreds, but free wood chips still make great use as top mulch in the gardens or for laying down a path to walk on the ground. I still have a pile of old wood chips that I will be shifting out for use as compost and the rejects that are too big will be tossed into the chicken run as a carbon source for the chicken run compost system. If you can find a free source of wood chips, that is a great resource.