Wood shavings

[CB3fish]

I use aspen shavings when they are chicks or ducklings and the smell is sometimes horrendous. At least it keeps the little birdies safe but if you have a relative like I do that can’t stand bad smells then you will have a yelling match lol

Thank you, interesting. I have a keen olfactory so I will skip the aspen.

 

[Ducksandchickens]

Thank you, interesting. I have a keen olfactory so I will skip the aspen.

Do whatever! It may be fine with other people but to me aspen stinks!!!!

 

[chickens really]

I actually either use pine shavings with Momma raised or Sand for Brooder raised Chicks...

 

[lazy gardener]

When your babies move outside, you might consider using deep litter for both coop and run. A well managed DL coop/run is odor free and costs nothing to maintain while producing tons of gorgeous black compost for your gardening pleasure. I've been doing DL almost as long as I've had chickens. My run is 500 s.f. and finally, after 3+ years of adding materials, I have arrived: 6" of gorgeous DL/compost covering the whole thing. When the girls are shut in, they spend the day happily digging and munching in that DL.

 

[CB3fish]

I prefer aspen to pine as it has very low odor of any kind, but it is more expensive than pine and a little harder to find so not the usual recommended option. I also have better luck finding aspen in larger flakes than pine, so my birds are a little less inclined to snack on it versus pine.

Thank you, I took the aspen back to day and got the pine chips at the tractor feed store. If one wants to get aspen, Petco sells them. I got the pine chips in a bale for about $5.00 while the aspen was $14.83. Some saving.

 

[rosemarythyme]

At Petco the pine is cheaper by a few dollars but yes the feed store will be much cheaper than that.

 

[CB3fish]

The pine chips come in two sizes. I got the bigger size chips, the clerk keeps chickens and she said she learned the big chips worked better.
The eggs in my incubator: there are 6 Heritage Plymouth Rock eggs, the rest are eggs from my neighbors chickens. They will be sex chickens, the rooster is a beautiful Rhode Island red. Also I did order 6 pure bred Rhode Red chicks from My Pet Chickens, today the chicks arrived. Very sadly 3 were dead!! They will replace them in 2 weeks. No cause known? There was a heat pack in the box but I suspect there was too much packing which kept them from keeping warm? The 3 survivors are doing okay, eating, and eating. I had some straw and put that in for now. The chips will be next.
In my college studies, I read about a test, electrodes were attached to a plant and the tester was instructed to concentrate looking at the plant and thinking, I love you. No response, them the tester was told to think, I am going to burn you up and the electrodes registered wild response!! Also I saw the video of a person who was going to abort a baby, the baby in the womb moved as far away as possible from the tool. Further it is proven that a baby in the womb hears and senses if he or she is loved and wanted. Therefore as I shared, the baby chicks in the eggs in my incubator are sung too at each turning and also prayed for, that the almighty will bless them as they grow. Now I am not saying these chicks understand any words but they may sense positive love? If there was a broody hen, she talks often to the eggs and lots to the baby chicks.

 

[CB3fish]

At Petco the pine is cheaper by a few dollars but yes the feed store will be much cheaper than that.

The Petco store did not have pine chips only the Aspen; also the pine chips are much heavier than the aspen for what seems the same size bale.

 

[CB3fish]

I found Aspen at Petco but not pine. Aspen was over $14.00 while Pine which was heavier and I think more wood was $5.99 A good savings.

 

[CB3fish]

I prefer aspen to pine as it has very low odor of any kind, but it is more expensive than pine and a little harder to find so not the usual recommended option. I also have better luck finding aspen in larger flakes than pine, so my birds are a little less inclined to snack on it versus pine.

Thank you so much.