5 chick brooder beddings tested - Here's the best! 

I use sand in my coop. I use a scoop to get rid of the poop, the same one made for cat litter. I can replace the sand when it becomes old, and put the old, used sand in low spots in my yard and driveway. I picked up the sand at a garden materials supply. I have a trailer, put a tarp on it, and had them put the tractor-scoop of sand on that. Folded the tarp over, and drove home. Shoveled the sand in the run and saved some for the coop. I spread it out in the sun on a tarp to dry. I use sand beneath their roost...easy to poop-scoop, cheap, and this system works for me.

A tent 🤔😊. We have week old chicks in a tote. I've been racking my brain on which bigger brooder for these babies. What a novel idea. And thank you so much for testing out and researching bedding.

The clips of the dustbathing chicks were sooo cute! 😍

Great video! One thing to add is sand is great at being easy to clean but lacks the ability to be composted later once it has been enriched with poop.

Thanks so much for your research and conclusion. I hate the pine chips and now have something else to use. If I can find them. I believe the chicks will be happier too. Great job!

What a fantastic idea! Thanks for conducting the experiment.

Great video! Thanks for the detailed comparisons

Such a thorough video, wow! I guessed paper since it looked so fluffy.

Great experiment and info!

thanks for putting in the work!

Best chick bedding video yet. Thank you. You earned my subscription as well

This is great! Thanks for sharing.

Really great video. Bursting with real information. Light years ahead of most of what's on RU-vid.

Very good, thank you for your efforts, everything I needed to know

My chicks are now 3 weeks.. and our screened in tent is fantastic. We gave had it for over 20 years and was about to give it to Goodwill when the need came up to expand the brooding area. plenty of room to run around and even enough for some downed branches from the yard.. 🙏🙏🙏🙏

2:29 omgg that little hop and sit on your arm was adorable ❤❤ also I love your tent idea!

Good Info, thank you for sharing.

Thank you for your time and effort! P.S. My guess was hemp.

I love chopped straw. I get the large bag at tractor supply store for $14. I also love the hemp but it's a little pricey.

For the first week my chicks have just clean dry wash cloths, no shavings at all. After the first week regular wood shavings are fine.

I would have guessed sand, as I have tried it as bedding before and the chicks seemed to like it. I typically use the pelletized sawdust horse bedding because it's easy to find, portable, absorbent, and can be dumped into a compost pile when you change the bedding. I'm looking forward to seeing what other things I can learn from you! Two bedding types seem a bit much for the tote brooders I use. Maybe you can talk me out of those, too?

We use a product called PDZ with great results. We have used it for over 5 years. It was developed for horse stalls. My coop is just steps from our patio and there is NO smell! The only problem is that it can harden over time when used in the run making it harder to change out.

Thanks. Great research....Tee in New Mexico

We love hemp more than any other type of bedding by a mile!

I plan on using hemp, but may add a corner of shredded paper for chicks to enjoy. Will also include a dust bath. I want to keep whatever brooder I choose, in the house for a week or so, then move the entire brooder to the coop (warm weather of course) and slowly increase the size somehow until they have the full coop as the brooder. I will block access to nesting boxes and the run. I will spend as much time as I can with them while they are young. And I want to introduce them to a swing while very young. I've heard that's the only way usually to get them to enjoy it. It's going to be a year or two before I can get any. Can't wait. Love your videos and your course. Keep up the great information!

what a fantastic video

Thank you for all your hard work. However I’ve always used large pine straw from TSC. I’m good with it AFTER the first seven days.

And here I was all prepared to put large pine shavings in my brooder because that’s what everyone said to use! I’m so glad to you shared this info. Definitely don’t want to do anything that will encourage respiratory issues in my chicks. I bought Hemp for the coop and plan to use the deep litter method for that. I had planned on using contractors sand and pine pellets in the run, to keep it dry, even though it will have a solid roof. But for the brooder…I am now leaning towards contractors sand or just go ahead with the Hemp in there as well. Hmm…I still think I’m still confused and not sure what to use in the brooder. I like the idea of sand and no moisture… but I already have Hemp purchased. 🤔 I’ve also been concerned about the heat lamp & shredded paper or any kind of shavings. Actually I have a red light heat lamp as well as a reptile heat lamp…supposed to be safer, because I’m really afraid of the heat lamp to be honest. I needed up ordering a brooder plate as well. Help!

The only thing I have available here is pine shavings and coarse unprocessed straw, so I'm using homemade coconut fiber and coir, so far I love it, it ties up so the chicks don't get any in the water or the food, and it has stayed super clean compared to the pine shavings, im going to test dry banana leaves chopped up. Now I have tested something that amazed me, I used dry decomposing grass clippings with a bit of pure black compost as bedding in a slightly smelly coop, it was instant magic, the smell left and all I did was sprinkle some on top.

Holy smokes, just read the article you provided regarding pine bedding. Scary stuff! My 18-month-old Orpington recently died from some kind of respiratory infection. I'm still waiting for the results of the blood tests and the necropsy. I only used pine shavings when for the brooder.. now I'm wondering if that may be the cause! Thank you again for all the great info.

A great video. Thank you for this. I have a lot of experience with adult chickens but I am new to the brooding world. Do you think your chicks started using the sandbox as a grit supply as well as for the dust bath as they were getting older?

Great video. I think I’ll have at least 3 different beddings to have that variety.

I use sand also and it's really keeps the chicken clean and dry up the feces quicker

Well i use a combo of horse bedding hemp and paper pellets and shreds and a deep litter method for my ducks and chickens and so far its awesome. Sand is something i wouldnt use for my coop or brooder.

2NS sand is washed, and low dust. It's used in riding arenas, and we definitely don't want dust in there. I wonder if limestone fines would be ok for brooders. I use that as a base in my coop and run. It packs down nicely, and neutralizes urine. The hens still can dig into it to make dusting baths, though they don't get any dust with the limestone.

Thank you for this video and the time you put into the research for us. Thanks to you, we have an 8'x8' tent set up for our 12 chicks and based on your video as well as a few others, we went with hemp bedding. We are two weeks into their growth and they have been sneezing and there is dust all over. My family is also having a hard time breathing even though we keep the door closed to their room to keep their room temperature regulated. We went with My Favorite Chicken hemp bedding and the smell is fine and they do love foraging in it just like you said but I just dont think this is the best long term option for my chicken babies. I bought 2 of the 33lb bags but only put in 1 bag in the tent to start. I have just returned the second bag and bought some aspen shavings instead. I hope i have not done too much damage to their little lungs. Thank you again for your videos. I should have went with the paper from the start!

I've rescued and rehomed over 10 rabbits and 6 guinea pigs and pine shavings are toxic to them due to the oils and it being very aromatic so as soon as I hear that people use pine shavings for their chickens my soul leave my body for a few seconds. I also have a pet snake and most people use aspen shavings for their snakes which is very safe, I personally wouldn't use it on my snakes since it moulds easily and it doesn't hold humidity plus it's the same price as regular cocoo-fibre based bedding. I'm getting a pair of Silkie chickens as pets to keep free-range in my room and my grandfather is getting 3 chickens to keep outside in a coop and a large area of our backyard. When my grandfather had horses we kept hemp bedding in our tractor/horse barn and it worked wonders! It absorbed everything and didn't smell as bad, it didn't stay soggy and it was so much easier to scoop the poo up too. I'm thinking about buying paper bedding and hemp since paper bedding is warm and a bit cheaper and hemp doesn't mould. I get a discount on paper bedding since I have a guinea pig and we go to petsmart a lot.

I’ve seen people liking coffee grounds. Would be interesting to know how that compares. I think some use coffee grounds from their own house, which isn’t treated, and I think that must be different from the treated stuff

I use horse bedding for my coop. It is virtually dust free and made of pine. No issues whatsoever. Easy to clean and absorbs moisture from the air quite well.

Also, what about deep litter method? Have you done a video about that? How often do you clean your coop if you don't use deep litter?

What about Fir, my Daughter uses a all natural fir pellet, made for pellet stoves, that she adds a little water to, to break up and soften it, then lets it dry before use. I can't find anything on fir tree wood products, whether they are safe or not?.

Have you tried Espoma Sani-Care? It was originally formulated to serve as long lasting horse bedding, but it has now spread into the poultry world.

Wondering if I can just buy bales of straw and send it through our chipper/shredder? Would that be suitable?? Thanks

We have screened and dust free pine shavings here... Australia..

I guess shredded paper cause my chicks LOOOOVE it!!! So sad cause I only have a little less and will be trying others

I am brand new to chickens, so don't listen to me, but I wonder if different breeds (like from different parts of the world) might prefer different by way of their natural ecosystems....hmmm...🤔 I appreciate all of the scientific method you used in this!

Did you try deep bedding and layering the bedding and then turning it from time to time to create a compost in place?

I have a couple baby Sarama‘s that iam raising and they will be living in the house what would you recommend for low dust

What do you use for pen area muddy area ? I was thinking wood chips area and maybe some course sand area ?

what kind of sand can I add to our run for dust bathing?

Choped straw

Sand it is then. Thanks for the video.

My sand didn't drain and got hard and heavy 😢

my guess is sand or hemp

Peat moss would have been a good one to compare also.

how you clean up and put the tent away at the end of brooding?

Hemp

Just a guess here, but that sure looks like Wyoming behind you... I grew up in Colo. & retired in the Ozarks.... It is nice to find a science-based chicken expert!

What is the name of the hard plate that is warm, thst is flat on the ground?

has anyone combined sand and shavings -not only in brooder but coop? Do you have a link or suggestions for the course sand you used in your experiment?

Can you use paper you shred yourself or does ink play a factor ?

Sawdust any good as ive got my babies in my brooder with it

Did your chicks eat the hemp? I put some in with mine to try out and they grabbed it and ran away like it was food. The next day I had one die. I’m afraid to put it back in

Would it be okay to use shredded newspaper as bedding??

I would guess paper?

I chose paper bcz it would be warm and soft.

I have to disagree with aspen being the loser on the dirtiest. Its so clean

What kind of sand do you use? Can I just buy playsand? The one I bought is "Play Sand is a specially graded washed sand that has been dried and screened. This play sand is ideal for children's sand boxes, molding and building. The initial cleaning process removes any unwanted debris and particles from the sand. Plus, it will kill and remove any potentially harmful bacteria found in the sand."

What is your favorite bedding for the outdoor chicken coop?

wood shaving is the best...at 3" thick will last 2 months....my chicks love it cause they move it around and keep the top ends clean

Can you recommend a brand of hemp and shredded paper? Thank you.

Which bedding was best for odor?

I have been using sand for years.

what about rice husk?

Is your brooder a tent? I was thinking of using a tent too lol. Paper for chicks and in nests, sand for adults? :)

What type of sand and where did you get it

Just put the sand in the oven at 250° for and you're good... using a torch is way too much work

I'm guessing their preference is sand! Very good experiment BTW :)

I guessed shredded paper

Use a bale, should be able to one for$5 bucks and would last awhile

Pls answer my chicks are eating and pecking at pine wood shavings

I guessed sand.

Finding sand is far to difficult

I say sand?

The paper cause it's soft.

I used pine shavings from TS, all my chicks lived! I work at TS, all our chicks are on pine shavings. They wouldn't use them if it was deadly. How am I supposed to take you seriously?

Sand I recon

Why not shred your own paper?

If can find low dust shavings. Much safer.