Many homesteaders enjoy raising chickens and finding common brooder and chicken coop bedding materials can sometimes be a challenge.
Raising chickens is something that is quite fun for you and your family. You can save a lot of money on eggs, and chicken meat if you so choose, by getting a few chickens and raising them on your land. As long as you have a nice coop for them to sleep in and lay their eggs in, they will be happy little birds. If you are looking into building a chicken coop or brooder, it is important to know all of your options in regards to their bedding. There are a lot of them out there and it is best to have an idea so you do not get confused when shopping.
One of the most common bedding options is pine shavings. These are very inexpensive, so you are not spending a lot of money on something that will be dirty soon. They are safe and non toxic to chicks and hens (as long as they are natural and are not treated). If you have a brooder, what you will want to do is lay some paper towel down over the shavings so the chicks do not try to eat them after just hatching.
These are great because the cleanup is easy and they are biodegradable. If pine shaving are not what you want, another easy clean up and inexpensive option is sand.
Straw or hay is something you see a lot in chicken coops, and that is because it is fairly cheap, easy to clean, and it provides better drainage than some other types of bedding options. The one downfall though is that it can tend to get a moldy if it is not changed often enough, or you live in a humid environment. If that is the case, it is better to go with another option.
If you were looking for something different to use instead of something run of the mill, you could use puppy pads instead. These are commonly used for house training puppies, but for a brooder, they are quite useful. They are very easy to clean, as you just remove the whole pad and replace it with a new one, and they are softer than sand or straw.
Raising chicks until they are chickens is always a fun process. You can watch them grow and explore their world, and they are an animal that is fairly easy to take care of. By having the proper bedding in their brooder, and later in their coop, you will have happy birds that will live a long life providing you with eggs and an immense amount of happiness.
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Common Brooder and Chicken Coop Bedding Materials
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