Wood Pellets for bedding?

[cochinbantam-lover]

I am going to need to change my bedding for my chicks very soon and I would like your thoughts about which bedding is the safest to use. Have heard many pros and cons for several kinds.
My pet store has some wood pellet bedding but it doesn't say on the bag what kind of wood just that it's natural whatever that means, can you advise? What about corn cob bedding?

Thanks!

 

[TipsyDog]

I just switched my chicks from wood shavings to pellets and what a difference! I love the pellets. No more mess in the water or food and I think its cleaner. The poop drys up quickly on the pellets. I've only had them in a few days, so I can't tell you how long they hold up yet.

The pellets I have is "horse bedding". That's what they called it and there's a horse on the bag. Do NOT use wood pellets that are burned in a pellet stove!

 

[cochinbantam-lover]

Quote:
Does it say on the bag what kind of wood they are made from? Does it matter, as long as it isn't cedar?

Thankyou!

 

[TipsyDog]

My bag says:

WOOD PELLETS
PREMIUM HORSE BEDDING
(picture of a horse)
PRODUCT OF CANADA
30 LBS.

Sorry, that's it. I bought it at my local Agway. I'm sure if you go to the feed store, they will have horse bedding. Give them a call. I paid about $4 for the bag and only plan to use it in the brooder till they go out to the coop.

 

[cochinbantam-lover]

Thankyou!

 

[Grammahen]

Quote:
Why not pellets from pellet stoves? Are they mixed with something else that is unsafe for the chickens? Just curious because we heat our house with a pellet stove and I have 5 tons in the garage. I would love to give it a try but not if it's unsafe.

 

[Jumpin Jersey George]

Quote:
Does it say on the bag what kind of wood they are made from? Does it matter, as long as it isn't cedar?

Thankyou!

I have horse bedding I just purchased from my local Agway Farm/Feed supply; $5.49/bag here in South New Jersey.

This is what it says on the bag ;

Boreal Pellet Inc.
Wood Pellets
Premium Horse Bedding

bottom of bag;

Product of Canada
Manufactured by ;
Boreal Pellet Inc. 201, 6e, rue Quest, Amos (Quebec) J9T 4E1

 

[eponagirl]

Wood pellets without cedar or chemicals added can be used. Some wood stove pellets have chemicals added....read the bag... alot of them are the same wood pellets used for pets, just marketed differently. I believe you'll get a better price at a farm store or tractor supply. Garden centers have it too.

I am using pellets both in a brooder and now in my coop and couldn't be happier. We'll see long term how it works out in the coop...but so far so good! I haven't seen any down side yet.

 

[geareduplyn]

I've used nothing else for 25+ years. TSC has the horse bedding Pine Pellets.
Wood stove pellets are OK. They are what I started using years ago. The horse bedding pellets are recent innovation.

 

[Grammahen]

Thanks so much for the info. I'll go read my bag and then compare prices for both. Thanks again.