Bedding for chicks: What is best to use

When it comes to bedding for your chicks’ brooder there are many options to choose from. Keep reading to learn what I use and why I think it is the best bedding for chicks.

Best bedding for chicks brooder

There are a lot of options for bedding in your chicks’ brooder, but you need to be careful. Some of those beddings can actually harm your chicks.

I have outlined some popular choices for brooder bedding to let you know which one is the best option to choose.

Pine shavings

I use pine shavings in my brooder and I really think they are the best bedding to use. Pine shavings absorb moisture and are soft for your chicks to walk on. These are definitely my number one choice of bedding in the brooder.

Make sure that you do not stir up dust when you add the pine shavings in because this is not good for your chicks to breathe in.

While pine shavings are great for the brooder I don’t like to use them in my chicken coop because pine shavings take too much time to decompose.

Wood shavings

While pine shavings are great to use in the brooder you should NOT use wood shavings. If you buy a bag of wood (not pine) shavings it could contain cedar shavings.

Cedar wood is harmful to chicks, so make sure that you are only using pine shavings. Don’t buy bedding for your chicks that is labeled wood shavings because this cedar dust can affect their airways.

Sawdust

Sawdust is not a good bedding option for chicks. Sawdust is too dusty and your chicks will also try to eat it. Sawdust can also contain chemicals from pressure treated wood that are not safe for your chicks.

Sawdust is very harmful to chicks and should not be used as bedding because it can cause many complications in your chicks.

Sand

Some people will use sand in both their brooder and their chicken coop. I don’t use sand in either case, because I don’t like the mess of sand.

I also don’t think chickens should be given sand as bedding because the chicken manure cannot decompose in the sand. When it comes to using sand in the brooder I would just opt for a better option like pine shavings.

Paper towels

Paper towels are another bedding option due to their ease of use. If you want to use paper towels in your brooder you need to lay down a double layer of paper towels.

Once the chicks soil this layer you need to empty them and replenish the towels. This will probably need to be done daily.

I personally don’t use paper towels because they do not insulate my brooder enough. My brooder is usually in an unheated garage and I want the chicks to have a thick barrier from the cold garage floor.

Straw

Straw is my favorite bedding in the chicken coop. I really like straw because it decomposes quickly and it absorbs moisture really well.

Straw also traps heat making it a great insulator in your chicken coop. If you are trying to keep your chickens warm in the winter you should be using straw.

However, straw is not a good bedding option in your chick’s brooder. Straw can poke your chicks and make them uncomfortable.

Because straw can be uncomfortable for small chicks I would not use it until your chicks have started to really grow their feathers (at least 4 weeks old).

Newspaper

Newspaper is another bedding option that I would not recommend using in the brooder. The newspaper will absorb moisture, but it is too slippery for your chicks.

Slippery bedding is bad for chicks and can cause them leg issues. If you have extra newspaper, it would be better to use it in the garden like this.

No bedding

Having no bedding in your brooder is the worst thing you could do for your chicks. Bedding is necessary to keep your chicks warm and cozy.

Bedding also allows your chicks to hold themselves up. If you don’t have bedding in your brooder your chicks’ legs will slip around.

This is not only annoying for your chicks, but it also causes them to have spraddle legs. This condition is something you don’t want to deal with, so prevention is the better option.

Bedding also helps keep the smell of chicks down because it absorbs the moisture and odor of their manure.

A clear winner

I really think that pine shavings are the best bedding you can use in your chicks’ brooder. They are soft, absorbent, insulating, and odor controlling.

The only issue I have with pine shavings is how they can get into the feed and water dishes, but I have a solution for that.

To keep the bedding out of the feed and water dishes you need to elevate them. I simply use some wooden blocks to raise the water and feed dish up.

This will keep most of the pine shavings from being kicked into the dishes. Once I found this trick, it made keeping the chicks so much easier.

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