Help! Straw substitute for deep litter method?

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HillCountryTX

HillCountryTX

In the Brooder
5 Years
Aug 12, 2014
27
0
34
My very first chicks arrive next week and I am trying to put the finishing touches on their brooder digs. My plan was to start them out on deep litter right from the get go, but straw is apparently in short supply in Texas at the moment. The guy at the feed store suggested coastal hay, but had no idea if it was actually ok for chickens and didn't know what I meant when I said "deep litter." Does anyone here know if coastal hay is an acceptable substitute for straw in s deep litter setup?

Thanks in advance!
 
People do deep litter many different ways, including straw, hay and pine shavings.

They eat some litter, and I wonder if they would get a lot of salt in coastal hay. I wonder what it is, for that matter.

Pine shavings are probably the easiest to use and the best at odor and moisture control, though they do cost a bit more than hay, especially if you change it out often once they are grown. I use a combination and don't change it often.
 
The salt question is a good one - "coastal" in this case just refers to the type of grass, not necessarily where it's grown. Coastal Hay is a type of Bermuda, and part of the reason I'm concerned about it is that apparently it is so fine that some vets consider it a colic and impaction risk for horses. That being the case, I wonder about it's potential for crop impaction. Every feed store I've checked with about straw substitutes is telling me they have customers using it for chickens... but I'm such a newbie I don't even know the right questions to ask at this point. And the pine shavings would be a very expensive alternative given the size of the run.

Best laid plans.... :-/
 

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