The Importance of Bedding in the Life Cycle of Chickens
The importance of bedding for chickens is like the importance of bedding in a home for humans. Bedding is not just a layer covering the floors of the farm; the quality and efficiency of the bedding directly affect the health and productivity of chickens in terms of meat and egg production. The importance of bedding for chickens includes:Protection: Bedding acts as a cushion, protecting chickens from cuts and injuries that can occur from direct contact with the farm floor.Temperature Regulation: Bedding helps maintain an appropriate temperature in the coop, acting as an insulating layer against the cold.Moisture Absorption: Bedding absorbs moisture and waste from chickens, thereby protecting them from many diseases, such as respiratory diseases caused by increased ammonia levels in the coop.Reduced Parasites: Bedding reduces the incidence of parasitic diseases, such as coccidiosis and clostridia.
Benefits of Wood Shavings for Chickens
Wood shavings are among the most common types of bedding for animals and birds, especially chickens, due to their numerous advantages, including:Availability and Cost: Wood shavings are readily available from furniture shops and carpenters at a lower price compared to other materials used as chicken bedding.High Absorbency: They have a high capacity for absorbing liquids and moisture, providing a dry and healthy environment for chickens and reducing the chances of coccidiosis, clostridia, and mycotoxins, which lowers mortality rates and increases conversion and growth rates in chickens.Ease of Use: Wood shavings are among the easiest types of bedding to use for chickens.Ammonia Reduction: Wood shavings absorb chicken droppings, thus reducing the rising ammonia levels in the coop, which minimizes respiratory diseases and eye injuries in chickens.Cold Protection: They provide insulation against the cold, maintaining a suitable temperature inside the coop, which improves chickens' metabolism, increases the weights of fattening chickens, and stimulates egg production in laying hens.
How to Use Wood Shavings as Bedding for Chickens
Veterinary doctors recommend that chicken farmers spread wood shavings with a thickness of 5 to 10 cm, depending on the age of the chickens and the temperature. Experts advise against spreading all the shavings at once; instead, they suggest using wood shavings as follows:Type Selection: Choose the type of wood shavings based on the purpose of raising chickens. White shavings are used in fattening farms due to their lower durability compared to red shavings, which are typically used in layer farms for their higher durability.Disinfection: Disinfect the wood shavings before spreading them in the coop to avoid any fungal infections that may spread to the chickens.Pre-Warming: Spread wood shavings in the coop before introducing the chicks, and turn on heaters to warm the shavings prior to the chicks' arrival.Initial Layer: During the first 10 days of the chicks' life, spread the shavings with a thickness of 2 cm, which is suitable for chicks of that age.Subsequent Layer: After 10 days, add another layer of wood shavings with a thickness of 2 to 3 cm.Layering: Add shavings in two stages rather than all at once to prevent the bottom layers from becoming damp and increasing moisture levels, which can lead to health issues in chickens.Periodic Mixing: Mix the wood shavings regularly to prevent them from clumping and ensure proper aeration, maintaining their quality and thus the health of the chickens.Quick Replacement: Remove any parts that have become severely wet if leaks occur and replace them with dry parts promptly, avoiding excessively wet areas in the coop.
The Impact of Wood Shavings on Chicken Behavior and Welfare
The health and welfare of the flock are affected by the environment in which they are raised. Wood shavings provide chickens with all the essentials for healthy growth as follows:Soft Bedding: Soft bedding like wood shavings allows chickens to move freely within the coop to access appropriate feed for rapid growth and increased productivity.Ammonia Reduction: Using wood shavings reduces ammonia levels in the farm, thus helping to maintain the respiratory health of the chickens.Good Ventilation: Good ventilation in the coop combined with wood shavings raises the chickens' immunity to diseases.Even Temperature Distribution: The balanced temperature distribution in the coop due to the use of wood shavings helps maintain an even distribution of chickens throughout the coop. Unlike other bedding types, overcrowding can occur in certain areas of the coop due to temperature differences.Moisture Absorption: The ability of wood shavings to absorb moisture from waterers and chicken droppings provides chickens with a dry environment for healthy growth.Cushioning Effect: Wood shavings act as a soft cushion for chickens, preventing injuries to their feet and thus reducing cases of lameness that can prevent chicks from accessing feed and water, increasing mortality rates among these chicks.
How to Choose the Right Wood Shavings for Your Chicken Farm
To choose the appropriate wood shavings for your farm, consider the following points:Size Selection: Choose the appropriate size of shavings and avoid very fine shavings like dust, as they can lead to respiratory problems in chickens and increase mortality rates.Avoid Sharp Edges: Avoid large shavings with sharp edges that can injure chickens, affecting their weight and health.Dryness: Ensure that the wood shavings are completely dry and avoid any moisture content.Odor-Free: Wood shavings should be free of any unpleasant odors; the presence of an odor indicates spoilage and mold.Purity: The wood shavings used as bedding for your farm should be free from any metallic impurities or sharp parts like screws and nails.No Sanding Residue: They should not contain any sanding residues.Chemical-Free: Ensure that the wood shavings do not contain any chemicals that could cause mortality in chickens or induce poisoning.Infection-Free: The wood shavings used in the farm should be free from any bacterial or fungal infections to prevent the transmission of such infections to the chickens, negatively affecting productivity.
Tips for Using Wood Shavings Efficiently in Chicken Raising
Just as everything has a manual for proper use, there are also points that you, as a chicken farmer, should pay attention to when using wood shavings in raising chickens, including:Quality Selection: Make sure to choose good quality wood shavings from a reliable source.Regular Mixing: Regularly mix the wood shavings.Check for Mold: Ensure that there is no mold in any part of the bedding; if found, remove it promptly to avoid respiratory problems in chickens.Increase Thickness in Cold: In extremely cold weather, increase the thickness of the bedding, as it acts as an insulating layer against the cold. In summer, the bedding thickness is around 5 cm, while in winter, it reaches about 10 cm.Maintain Dryness: Keep the wood shavings dry and avoid dampness from water leaks.Periodic Replacement: Veterinary advice suggests completely changing the wood shavings used for bedding every three months and replacing them with new wood shavings to maintain chicken health.Proper Storage: Store unused wood shavings in a well-ventilated area away from any water leaks or rain to prevent mold.Optimal Density: Distributing the chickens evenly is crucial; exceeding the permissible number of chickens in the coop increases moisture levels in the bedding, leading to spoilage and higher chances of disease.Organic Fertilizer: After the chicken farming cycle, used wood shavings can be used as high-quality organic fertilizer for agricultural soil.Dear chicken farmer, the welfare and health of the chickens start with choosing the right bedding for the farm. Be sure to select wood shavings as bedding for your chicken farm to achieve the best results in your farming efforts.
