Are all wood shavings OK in coops?

[silverback]

My husband is a woodworker and works with lots of different woods. Are there some shavings that are a) great for coops; b) OK for coops; c) toxic or very bad for coops?

All input welcome, please!

S.

 

[ChickieBooBoo]

I've heard the Cedar is toxic, I never use it. Whenever I use shavings its always been pine and the birds love it.

 

[cravenchx]

Quote:
x's 2

 

[jeepguy982001]

same as the other post i've only heard cedar as being toxic. But then again usually people can only purchase pine or cedar shavings so who knows.

 

[DancingHen]

The oils in cedar can be toxic to the birds. I have also heard that black locust can be toxic.

Pine is great.

 

[WoodlandWoman]

As people have mentioned, I wouldn't use cedar, due to the essential oils. Some of the specialty woods are toxic and woodworkers should protect themselves from the dust when using those. I wouldn't use any of those in the coop. There are lists on the internet for woodworkers. If he's not doing fancy decorative work, he may not be using any of those, anyway.

 

[KandiandJerry]

NEVER use cedar it will kill every chicken you have..........only use pine

 

[Judy]

You might want to research this to see if you can use your own shavings. Some people do use some cedar without a problem, depending how odorous it is and how well ventilated the area is. Pine also gives off some fumes which aren't good, as do some other woods.

In terms of ventilation, I essentially have a 3 sided coop; very breezy. My chickens are LF and full size; no chicks at present. I happened to acquire a few bags of someone's unused cedar shavings, and am using them in small quantities, mixed in with pine and some hay. They have almost no cedar odor. I do know there are different types of cedar, and that's really all I know about the subject.

I would not use cedar in an indoor brooder, though.

 

[OldGuy43]

Since we're new to keeping cluckers OldGal and I are trying an experiment. We bought some cedar litter and spread a little on the ground in the open run. Maybe it'll keep some of the pests away??

 

[2isgreen]

It depends on the types of wood he's working with. Most domestic hardwoods like maple, ash, cherry, poplar pose no health risks. Many topical woods like mahogany, Ipe, blood wood, and paduk have very toxic qualities. If collecting the chips and shavings with a shop vac it is very easy to contaminate a fresh batch of harmless wood with a small amount of residual dust from a dangerous wood.