PINE VS. CEDAR shavings????? NEED YOUR INPUT PLEASE

[wranglerFB]

I was wondering if there is any difference in using one over the other in either chick beddings or in the hen house runs ........does either one pine or cedar affect the chickens in a bad way?? I have friends who use cedar in their hen houses an say they have had no ill affects but I seem to remember from some time ago I think I was told not to use cedar shavings but I think this was just for placing in chicks boxes while brooding them ...........anyone please would like to know y'alls opinions on this subject thanks

 

[pkeeler]

Cedar shavings should not be used with chicks. What's dangerous for chicks might not be dangerous for hens. But why spend extra for something that might have chronic health effects? Pine shavings are cheap, easily available, and work very well.

 

[wranglerFB]

think the reason they use the cedar is because we have a local saw mill that sells their cedar shavings for $15 a truck load I think is what they pay for them ........and if the cedar is ok then would be much cheaper for me to buy it that way but only if cedar is healthy to use for my hen houses ............cheap only works when you don't have to spend more later on because of going the cheaper route ..........

 

[okiron]

Cedar shavings shouldn't be used with any animal imo. I don't know why they bother selling them.

 

[Wynette]

What makes the cedar smell so good to us is from the oils...the fumes of which are toxic to chickens. I would NOT use for chicks or in a coop. It could probalby be safely used outdoors, in a run that has good air circulation. But, it really is best to avoid them; why take the chance?

 

[Anny]

Do not use cedar shavings. Cedar shavings smell nice due to the volatile compounds (e.g. aromatic hydrocarbons, phenols) that are given off.

Unfortunately these compounds have been implicated as a potential health risk, especially with regards to respiratory problems (asthma, inflammation, allergic responses) and changes in the liver.

I wouldn't use cedar or Pine outside of the coop. It would become way to soggy and gross being outside. My run is just dirt/grass and sand. I know other people may even put down straw.

 

[wranglerFB]

thank y'all for the responses I knew I heard at one time never to use cedar with chicks but could not think of ever hearing about using with grown birds ..........guess I will stick to my pine shaving in the brooders as well as the hen houses too just to be safe ........thanks again

 

[patandchickens]

Plenty of people (including commercial broiler operations) use cedar shavings for bedding. Most people do not have any evident problems. That does not mean they can't cause problems sometimes, though, especially if the space is not very well ventilated. You do not want the place smelling like a cedar-closet, you know?

So, it is safer to use pine (especially for chicks, with more delicate respiratory systems and much closer down to the litter)... but it is not like cedar shavings are an automatic death sentence.

It also depends what *kind* of "cedar" you are talking about -- there are several fairly-different trees that go by that name.

Good luck, have fun,

Pat

 

[Sissy]

I use pine shavings Not
Cedar heard too much negative storys about it.

 

[jubylives]

I'd agree with Pat. I'd possibly bite that cedar chips would cause irritation to baby chicks but nothing has really proved it. The lethality is totally unfounded. Of course if you stuff a chicken or any other creature in a shoe box packed with cedar chips I'm sure you'd get negative results.

jeremy