Tractor Supply Pine Shavings

[ChirpyChick]

Quote: [FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]suebee[/FONT] Click on your profile (at top of any page, brown tab second to last) Scroll down near the bottom and you'll see Your Forum Signature. Type in whatever you want. You may have to click "edit signature".

AH HA! Thanks! I was totally viewing my profile wrong! Thanks

 

[CarolJ]

Just to chime in - although you already have plenty of answers. I often buy my pine shavings from TSC, and I always get the flake (in the white bag at TSC). Chickens are dusty enough without adding more dust from the fine shavings I use the flake for all my chickens - and it works great.

 

[Birde]

Am I the only person that uses hay? I hate pine shavings on the floor. I don't like my hens eating it. They love their hay play it in & spread it themselves. No smell, or removal cause I guess they eat it. I just add more. Completely natural. :/

 

[ChirpyChick]

I don't know Birde...I could easily use hay as my landlord has a hay reselling business...but like I mentioned before - a lot of the other DLM threads say to not use hay...though i can't actually remember a reason why

I would love to use hay as part of it too...that way I wouldn't have to pay as much as often for pine shavings!

So many questions...sometimes I wonder if I'm over thinking things...

~jr

 

[suebee]

The fine shaved pine bedding is all I've ever used because it's more absorbent. I do have a hay bale in the coop which they love to pick at, jump on.

 

[ChirpyChick]

suebee...I would love to know more about how you do your coop maintenance with your big bale in the coop. Sounds interesting I can also see how fine shavings are more absorbent but how do you then combat the dust? Are you not using TSC shavings?

thanks for the input!

~jr

 

[Ole rooster]

I bought a bale of shaving from TSC for the 7 younguns I bought. Never again. I've used one layer in the brooder and never again will I use that stuff. I've just gotten too accustom to sand and the ease and cleanleness of it. If anybody wants to rest of this bale, which is just about all of it, you can have it you come get it. I hate this stuff. It's just to nasty for me.

 

[mondotomhead]

My little fluffy butts are headed to the outdoor brooder soon and I will be purchasing a bale of pine shavings to add to the bedding mix. However, the only place I can purchase bales in my area (without needing to buy in bulk - what would I do with 100 pine bales?!? and how would I afford that?!) is Tractor Supply. They offer pine (along with of course - cedar, aspen and pine pellets) shavings in large bales in two types - flake and fine.



Hi ChirpyChick,

I get my pine shavings from Walmart, in the pet section. It is not the fine shavings. One bale is only $6.98 and last quite a while.........

 

[ChirpyChick]

I bought a bale of shaving from TSC for the 7 younguns I bought. Never again. I've used one layer in the brooder and never again will I use that stuff. I've just gotten too accustom to sand and the ease and cleanleness of it. If anybody wants to rest of this bale, which is just about all of it, you can have it you come get it. I hate this stuff. It's just to nasty for me.

Ole Rooster - would you mind please telling us WHY you will never again use the TSC pine shavings? You mentioned you prefer sand, but did not mention why you do not like pine shavings. We're trying to compile reviews/personal experiences that detail as much as possible the quality/absorbency of TSC pine shavings and how they contribute to our coop maintenance. Hopefully this thread will eventually be turned into a pros/cons article about the TSC brand fine and flake pine shavings.

Thanks for your cooperation!

~jr

 

[ChirpyChick]

@Mondotomhead - (GREAT NAME!...sorry I got distracted...anyway...)

That's a great idea! Thanks for that inspiration Can you please tell us more about the quality of those pine shavings? How many cubic feet it covers? And anything else that may be pertinent to our pine shaving conundrum?


I didn't even think to try Wal-Mart will do that next...though I did check my local PetSmart - they did not have a bale comparable in size/price to TSC. This is the break down ONLY for pine shavings (I have a cedar allergy and wasn't sure aspen was okay for the chicks...)

Petsmart's Premier Pet Natural Pine Bedding

Judging from the picture this is a flake pine shaving...I have never personally purchased this brand and so do not know how well it handles in real life compared to the TSC (or other brands) flake shavings. However, the price breakdown for the coverage area offered is as follows -

500 cubic inches (500 cubic inches = approximately 1/3 of a cubic foot (0.2894) Thanks Google!) $3.99/bale which equals $13.81 per cu. ft.
1000 cubic inches (approximately 2/3 of a cubic foot (0.5782) $7.99/bale which equals $13.81 per cu. ft.
2 cubic feet $9.77/bale which equals $4.89/cu. ft.

It should also be noted that PetSmart carries a very large selection of the absorbent pine pellets if that is your fancy for your brooders. Just judging from the 'click to zoom' pictures from the website it appears they have a size difference as well. Possibly fine/medium/coarse pellets...Though I am not sure how the breakdown/compostability of these pellets work.

Link to products page on PetSmart's Site for reviews if anyone wants it -
http://www.petsmart.com/product/index.jsp?productId=2754694&lmdn=Material