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- 2/22/17
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I've been using aspen in my nest boxes and brooders for years without a problem. I recently pulled two crimson bellied conures because the parents weren't feeding them enough. They went into a brooder with a layer of aspen at the bottom and a paper towel on top, then surrounded by a ring made from a small washcloth. I do those to keep them from wiggling away from the heating pad that is underneath and getting a chill. Once they get big enough I remove it and let them move around. The paper towel is just for the first few days so I can see their droppings. The babies did really well for the first week and then one of them died. My other half said he went to feed them and the largest looked pale. The smaller one was doing fine. The older chick died a few hours later. When I got home I checked out the one that has passed and it was almost white in color. I looked at the little one and then I picked up everything in the brooder, I noticed that the aspen was dark. It was blood. Apparently the older one got a scratch or a puncture from a piece of aspen and bled out. The smaller one had some small abrasions on the back but seems to be doing ok. I emptied the brooder and put it on a pile of old washcloths that I rotate out every day.
I talked to a fellow breeder and they said they have been using finely shredded pine for the last few years. I've heard a lot about the anti-bacterial properties of pine, and the bird store I work at recently switched to it without any issues. It is much softer than aspen. On the other hand, I hear about chicks developing respiratory issues from the volatile oils in the pine.
Does anyone have opinions, comments, complaints? I've used it for years without a problem, but I've also never lost a chick from it either.
I talked to a fellow breeder and they said they have been using finely shredded pine for the last few years. I've heard a lot about the anti-bacterial properties of pine, and the bird store I work at recently switched to it without any issues. It is much softer than aspen. On the other hand, I hear about chicks developing respiratory issues from the volatile oils in the pine.
Does anyone have opinions, comments, complaints? I've used it for years without a problem, but I've also never lost a chick from it either.