Can You Use Pine Wood Shavings For Chickens

Easily attainable shavings can be picked up at local feed stores.

Can you use pine wood shavings for chickens. They re used in both brooders and chicken coops. Pine shavings are touted as safe for chickens health and many packages even have pictures of chickens on them. Shavings are a favorite among chicken owners and this type of bedding comes in different forms of wood. We always use pine shavings for baby chicks.

I usually wait until my chicks are 3 4 weeks old before i use straight pine shavings in my brooder. The most common kinds of shavings are pine and cedar although there is a lot of talk about the possibility of cedar being toxic to chickens. Pine wood shavings are the obvious choice but there are a few other things you should also consider before you just fill your brooder boxes with pine shavings each week. They re loved for their absorbency cheap cost insulating properties and composting ease.

We use flake wood shavings from tractor supply co. The high nitrogen chicken poop is the green simply add enough shavings to keep the floor composting nicely and the chickens do the aeration for you with their scratching behavior. Pine shavings are one of the most used chicken bedding materials in the united states. What to use as bedding for your baby chicks is an important consideration.

Like a compost pile you begin with a layer of pine shavings or other organic matter in the browns category. I ve read that straw can be too slippery for developing legs to walk on although i haven t honestly looked further into this. However pine shavings contain dangerous toxins that may cause serious harm to your chickens. In most instances you should wait until your new chicks are 3 4 weeks old before placing all pine shavings in the brooder.

For the aspect of cleaning the coop i prefer pine shavings. I was annoyed that even after cleaning out the coops i would still collect dirty eggs. Pine wood shavings are an obvious choice but there are other things to consider before you fill your brooder with pine shavings. Go for large flake wood shavings over fine shavings too dusty and don t use sawdust way too dusty and damp.

I love to use shavings due to odor control and ease of cleaning. I used pine shavings for years with my chickens. Scattering corn on the coop floor encourages them. You absolutely need pine wood shavings and not cedar shavings cedar oils and scent can be toxic to chickens.

Pine shavings are commonly used for chicken coops as they re more absorbent than most other materials have insulating properties are low in cost and widely available and can be used for the deep litter method and composting.