wood shavings and chicks

[Mrs.H]

Ive been using paper towels in my brooder since day 1, the chicks will be 1 week old tomorrow. I want to start using my TSC wood shavings now which are good mix of small/medium pieces. Im affraid they will eat them, which I do expect them to do at 1st, but will they stop? They def. do know where their food is, they do not have grit as of right now. But has anyones chicks actually ate too many and had something happen to them? Im just really nervous about switching them to wood shavings, but the paper towels just need to go its getting too messy in there

, been cleaning it out everyday.

 

[aussieheelr]

I've had mine on shavings since day 1 no problems. My first chicks I used pine, now I use aspen since aspen works better in the compost. Either works fine with the chicks, they scratch through it but haven't had mine eat it. The also like to kick it into their waterer, I never worried about it there either.

 

[ranchhand]

I usually start them on paper towels on top of shavings for the first week. I bet if you put the shavings in now, with paper towels on top for a few days, they will be fine. Put a little grit out and maybe start some treats for them. They'll be so stuffed they won't eat the shavings.

Have fun, enjoy them!

Oh! I do like to air out the shavings before I put them in, just dump them in a container outside and wait for the strong wood smell to go away. And NOT cedar.

 

[gryeyes]

None of mine have eaten too many shavings. Mostly, they pick up a shaving and run around with it for a while, as if they have some sort of prize.

They will hollow out little depressions in the litter, take baths in it, scratch in the litter to look for feed which has fallen into it, and generally get along just fine on the shavings.

 

[ijon1]

Shavings work for me too, never had a problem.

 

[UGAchick]

Thanks for the post! You have convinced me to move from paper towels to shavings. I thought that either way I would have to clean it out everyday, but it seems that that is not the case. Yay!

 

[Ms Chirps' Chooks]

I first kept two chicks on paper towels for 3 weeks. I tried "feeding" the used paper towels to my worms (a vermiculture farm). The quantity of paper towels overwhelmed the worms! Plus it took a lot of time to change the paper towels. Note: One chick is named Hop Scotch because she only has 1 leg. She needed the smoother surface provided by the paper towels when she was young.

Wood shavings are infinitely better. First I switched Chirp, then Hop Scotch, to wood shavings and was amazed at how much easier and cleaner the brooder stays.

Now there are 24 chicks in the brooder. From Day 1 to Day 6 they walked on old bath towels! Each day I shook the bath towels on the compost pile, then turned them over to use them again. Each towel served for at least two days. Some lasted longer when only I/4 was used (to fit the brooder).

At start of week two, the chicks were switched to wood shavings. The brooder is an appliance box. So first the box was lined with 8 pages of newspaper, then a layer of paper towels, and finally, an inch or more of wood shavings. The wood shavings are from planing boards by local wood workers.

Once a day, I stir the shavings and add in DE (food grade diatomaceous earth) and agricultural limestone. )Chirp has humongous poop so I coop that out.)

On Day 1, many chicks ate the wood shavings. However, now, on Day 3, all the chicks "know" and eat the feed. They do like to dust bathe in the shavings/DE/limestone. Other chicks like to "eat" / "clean" the shavings off the bather. The chicks seem really happy and contented.

Next time, I plan to use bath towels for one week, then move to wood shavings!

 

[Ms Chirps' Chooks]

Other things...I started them on baby grit (granite); they are layers, not broilers.

 

[SundownWaterfowl]

I started brooding my chicks on wire. Its easier that way, they stay clean, since the poop falls through, and emptying the pan is easy.

 

[Mrs.H]

Thanks!!! I like the wire bottom, and the towel idea. Ill have to remember that next time!!!