I am so sorry you lost your chicken. I am growing very fond of my little Bantam Barred Rocks. I have over 90 standard chickens but the 6 Bantams have become my favorites.
Are you sure it was the cedar shavings that killed her? Maybe it was whatever caused her to be so underweight to begin with? Take care and get more.
Linda

I am so deeply sorry for your loss, and certainly not in THIS forum, will we think you are weird for grieving over a dead chicken, though I know what you mean. Most folks would be thinking "All right---dinner!", not realizing these things are our family members! My chickens and pigeons and our dog are our pets but also our children, even more so since we don't have "real" children! So when one passes, it's majorly tragic.

As for how Amy died, I never had heard anything about cedar being bad. In my nest boxes, I use straw, hay or grass clippings or sometimes even some fresh lambs ear leaves. But now I have learned something new. Sorry again for your loss! Give your other birds a hug, maybe it will help a bit.

You probably didn't help kill your chicken, you probably kept her alive longer by giving her extra TLC. Before I read they were toxic, I always started day old chicks and goslings indoors on cedar shavings baled for dog bedding and never had a health problem with a single one.

Its true that some softwoods can be too oily if they're not dried properly - I got several bags of toxic cypress mulch this year that stunk badly like turpentine.

But anyone who cooks rice, beans, and eggs for a chicken several times a day would surely notice toxically-aromatic cedar and take it away, so that probably wasn't it and you shouldn't be blaming yourself.

amiz5904
What type cedar shaving were you using, the western red cedar seems to be the most toxic, more so than eastern red cedar. Most of the articles I have seen seem to involve sawdust, the shavings sold as bedding come from using a planer to smooth the board and are shavings without a lot of dust.
Almost any dust from sawing or using a planer will be toxic to woodworkers, small particles lodge in the lungs  condition of wooden lung results. Sort of like black lung in the coal miners.
I do a lot of woodwork, including eastern cedar, pine, oak, cherry, and hickory; I always wear a canister mask when working with wood that will produce dust. Guess it could be the same with small animals.
I have also read that pine shavings are toxic to small animals about the same rate as western cedar, so if you had used the pine shavings the results might have been the same. As mommagoose said, it may have been what was wrong with your banty hen from the start, I am sure the stress of the storm didnÂt help any.

Hoptown, I'm not sure what kind of cedar it was only that the bag said 100% aromatic red cedar. I put the bags at the end of the driveway for garbage pick-up this afternoon and somebody other than the garbage people picked it up (garbage is still there).

I've always brought her in the house for a few days at a time (to try to get her to gain some weight) and she never had a problem except for this time. By the second day in the cedar she was acting lethargic but I just assumed it was the weather. By 48 hours she was dead. Of course now I torment myself with the "woulda, shoulda, coulda's". ARGGGH!

Hi. I'm sorry about your loss. : ( I understand.
I've always heard that cedar shavings are bad for potbellied pigs and rats...but are okay for dogs and chickens. I've just used a bunch of cedar for my chickens while they were cooped up with bumblefoot and scaly leg. I had to bandage and treat them and give antibiotics...so they were in there with the straight cedar and they were in a weakened condition--and it didn't hurt them. I think your birdie's death was a combonation of things and you did your best to give her the best life possible...I don't think you killed her!
Keep your chin up.
erin

Amiz, please don't feel your stupidity killed your bird. From the above postings and information, I feel you did the best you could. She will always remember the "Special Breakfast" that you made for her. Funny how things have changed. As a kid used to help kill the chicken, and get it ready for dinner. This summer, one of my hens died, and I buried her in the yard. Sprinkled food and scratch on her for the journey.

Amiz, so sorry to hear that Amy died. I once had an unthrifty chicken that died suddenly. In the morning she was taking food from my hand and by mid-afternoon she was dead in the chicken yard. I agree with the others who think that it was something other than the cedar shavings that killed her, something she had been fighting for some time. Take comfort in knowing you did all the special loving things you could for her -- and get another banty when you feel ready.

Amiz, I too am so sorry you lost your special girl. It does sound like she was fighting some sort of illness that was preventing her from gaining weight. It is so difficult to lose a pet, she will be dearly missed and that just shows how much you loved her and cared.

-Sheila

I have used cedar shavings for the nests for years. None of my chickens have seemed to die from them. Are you sure this is toxic?

Rather than fearing your cedar chips caused your dear feathered friends death, it's more likely you gave her a nice sweet smelling bed for her last few hours. Safe and dry from the storm.

I was asking my brother about this problem with the cedar shavings etc. and he maintains wood duck houses for the wild birds and always puts fresh shavings in their houses in the spring. He has never had any dead babies or grown birds that have died in the houses. He said he doesn't feel that your chicken died from this either. It was just her time to go. So please don't blame yourself for your loss. These things just happen. I have lost a few "best feathered friends" in the years I have had my birds too. It is always very sad. I am sorry you lost your friend and hopefully someday you can get another one to love(-: