That neighbor lady told me not to use cedar shavings for bedding and I wish I listened sooner

My neighbor Susan (she's had chickens for like 12 years now) warned me that cedar shavings can cause respiratory issues in hens. I figured she was being overprotective, but after 3 weeks of using a cheap bag from the feed store in Austin, two of my Rhode Island Reds started wheezing and sneezing. I switched to pine shavings last Tuesday and they perked right up within 4 days. Has anyone else had their birds react badly to certain bedding materials?

2 comments

2 Comments

spencer1992d ago

Dang, sorry to hear about your Reds. It is scary when something you thought was fine turns out to be bad for them out of nowhere. That quick turnaround after switching to pine shows it was definitely the shavings.

ross.angela1d ago

Pine is actually a softwood, not a hardwood, but yeah, cedar shavings were probably the real problem for your Reds.