Cat Litter and Chicks/Poults

[cheeps]

This may be a stupid question, but it's one I can't really find a straight answer to online. I have two turkey poults and two chicks (all five weeks old) in a converted large dog crate in my dining room. Hoping to get rid of these two chicks soon and just have the two turkeys. Anyway, I re-homed my cat last week and I have a brand new box of scoopable cat litter and no kitty to use it. I was wondering if this is safe to use in my brooder. The shavings get so smelly so quickly, and it would be nice to be able to poop scoop the brooder. I can think of a few reasons it may not be, but I figured I'd turn to the experts for guidance!!

 

[cerridwenn]

i think they would eat it because it looks like chick crumbles, and probably get sick from it. birds try to eat ANYTHING. maybe, if they are just walking on the bare cage, you could put a tray far enough underneath that they didn't eat it and the poop would fall through into it, but i think they would stick their heads through and still try to eat it.

 

[RoninComputing]

Clumping cat litter os a nono... chicks will eat it and it then clumps inside them.... not to mention that the chemicals in it are less than friendly

Give the cat litter to your local rescue shelter, they will appreciate the donation

Martin

 

[cheeps]

Yeah, I was sort of thinking the same thing about them eating it. It would probably get gross in their crop and cause problems?

 

[Pennyhibbitts]

From trial and error I can assure you that you should NOT use kitty litter in your brooder! They will eat it and it will swell in their crop and KILL them!!

Besides the fact that there are perfumes and dyes used in kitty litter. You can use the kitty litter on your flower bed if the chicks do not have access to this area.

 

[NonnasBabies]

Well I'm gonna go on the other side!! I use cat litter in my "nursery" coop on the floor!! Mine are from 8-14 weeks old!! I haven't seen one of them even peck at it!! And it sure is easier to clean with a litter scoop!!

Missi

 

[SilkieTime]

Not that this helps but my kitten would rather us wood shaving then kitty litter. I wouldn't use kitty litter for chicks myself. I us papertowles over shaving in a brooder for the first two days.

 

[Kittymomma]

Don't use it. As other posters have mentioned they can eat it and the clumping type litter is especially bad if that happens. I do kitten foster and have seen kittens get very sick (sometimes die) from eating the clumping type litter. I don't even use that stuff for the cats anymore, the pine pellet type stall bedding works great for brooders and cat boxes too. Donate it to the shelter or put it up on cl and sell it, but don't use it in your brooder.

 

[redfox]

Just confirming what every has said "stay away". I found that pine shavings work the best for me

 

[featherz]

I use feline pine (or equine pine) as my cat litter so I could in fact use that for chicks (it's compressed pine), but never would I use clumping kitty litter for chickens (heck, I won't even use it for my cats!). Sides, even if they didn't eat it, chickens won't go in large enough quantities at a time to have clumps to scoop. It would be like back when I had a 'leaky' cat and still used the clumping litter - tiny little pebbles everywhere.