cut grass for litter/bedding?

[claraserena]

We have a mixed flock of chickens and 5 Welsh Harlequin ducks (5 months). All birds are together in the barn (two rooms, no door between them) and night and free range during the day, though ducks and chickens sleep in separate rooms. I have pine shavings in the chicken area and cut grass in the duck area. The grass has never been treated with anything--we mow, let it dry then pick up. the grass seems to work. but I'm not sure how it will be during winter when they are outdoors less (Wisconsin). Are there any risks or downsides to the cut grass? The advantage is it's free and we could store some in garbage cans over winter. Otherwise, I could put pine shavings in both rooms of the barn. Any experience/opinions welcome!

 

[The Angry Hen]

Hello There,
Nice to meet you.

The only downside to cut grass is health wise. From my experience... Grass without the little pebbles and dirt can do a little harm, the dirt helps them digest.

If the don't digest something correctly- it can do harm. One of my hens sadly passed away a few years back from not digesting the grass correctly without soil.

If you do use the grass, remember when chickens eat that they cut small tips off of the grass.
This is okay, but not large strands. I am not sure how it is in the winter because I don't use it, but I also think of it as a cooling kind of snack. Personally, I'm not sure if it helps as warmth. The question is: Would you be okay if they ate it instead of using it as bedding?

I really hope this information of mine helps you. There will be some nice folks commenting to tell you their experiences and opinions. Good luck on your mission, God bless.

Sincerely,
-The Angry Hen

 

[Ol Grey Mare]

Many folks who use deep litter method (dlm) incorporate yard clipping. I have not once, in all my years, had an incident of crop issues caused by grass, though I always provide appropriate grit to my birds

 

[Jakobvd]

Hi
So I currently use grass all year for my chickens . I feel as if ,the angry hen ^is right, they would probably eat it instead of using it as bedding. I would put it as litter for the bottom of the coop(where the chickens poop) and I would use shavings for their nesting boxes. If you see your chickens eating the grass or not having enough warmth (because grass does go bad fast) I'd would use shavings.
If ya have anymore questions just ask.

 

[chickens really]

I use pine shavings for both species....Ducks poop is wet and rots straw or grass fast and it remains too wet..

 

[Crooked Chicken]

I think I read someplace that fresh-cut grass could have some mold issues.

That said, I did incorporate some cut grass in the pen, mixed with an equal amount of dry leaves, twigs, hickory nut shells & dirt. I rake it around every couple of days and it seems pretty dry. It's a good hiding place for insects too, so the chickens and ducks do a fair amount of turning it over themselves. I think it will be a mucky mess if getting a lot of rain though.

My chickens eat grass all the time when they are out of the pen.

 

[Houndsview]

I tried cut grass with my ducks as well, and it gets wet, and smelly very quickly and no longer absorbs. Pine straw is a good free alternative if you have any pine trees on your property. i use a mix of pine straw until I run out and shavings the rest of the time.

 

[Pork Pie]

I use dry grass clippings in my coop as litter. Providing it is totally dry, there's little issue of either mould or chickens eating it. Dunno about ducks.

I should add that we don't have winters here and my flock ranges the garden all day, every day of the year, so extended confinement and using grass clippings, I have no experience of.

 

[lomine]

It depends on how much moisture you get or how humid your climate is. I use the deep litter method. I have used cut grass, dry leaves, pine shavings, straw, and hay (that the goats tossed on the ground and refused to eat). I live in a dry climate and it gets even worse in winter so I have not experiences any mold issues. In fact, most times I have to add water to keep the breakdown process going. However, hay (which is grass) molds easily if not dried properly, stored correctly, or exposed to excessive moisture, so if you live in a wet environment using only grass clippings might pose a problem.

 

[Crooked Chicken]

I tried cut grass with my ducks as well, and it gets wet, and smelly very quickly and no longer absorbs. Pine straw is a good free alternative if you have any pine trees on your property. i use a mix of pine straw until I run out and shavings the rest of the time.

I've heard of pine straw in a gardening article I read. I think the woman chose to use that instead of wood chips/mulch. I've got a lot of trees, but no pines. Hickories, maples and redbuds are the majority. And boy oh boy do I have wood... constant falling limbs and leaves. I really dislike burning so much wood, so I just purchased a Tazz K32 chipper-shredder so that I can turn a lot of the small limbs into wood chips and mulch.