experiment with bedding

[furbabymum]

I just use a round bale of plain old horse hay. I happen to have a ton as I had horses and now have cows. Same results I must say. It's obviously not chopped like yours but the chickens chop it up themselves. Also minimal dust and I have the same results as far as smell. They also love to dig it. I think that might be cheaper than buying a chopped and bagged variety. Just buy a bale of hay!

 

[memechick]

Hi Nancy .......... thanks for inviting me over to get an "up close and personal" view of your coop and bedding experiment. It was wonderful meeting you and I was very impressed!! It was 90 degrees outside and your coop was immaculate and smelled fresh. The chopped hay looks so much cleaner and neater than the pine shavings that make such a mess. On my way home I stopped by our local TSC and didn't see any but I did find out that our local Agway dealer has some. I'll be trying this experiment myself this week. I love the idea that it is "dust free". I'll let you know how I make out! P.S. Your coop is FABULOUS!! You're girls are very lucky.

 

[coolcanoechic]

can you sift out the chicken poop with a "kitty litter rake" using this stuff?

I think you could. I have noticed that the straw settles down during the day and the poop stays on top. You could probably use a small rake to lift the poops out if you want to make it last a lot longer.

 

[coolcanoechic]

I just use a round bale of plain old horse hay. I happen to have a ton as I had horses and now have cows. Same results I must say. It's obviously not chopped like yours but the chickens chop it up themselves. Also minimal dust and I have the same results as far as smell. They also love to dig it. I think that might be cheaper than buying a chopped and bagged variety. Just buy a bale of hay!

I would agree with that absolutely, I have tried hay on ocasion and when I can't use up a whole bale right away, it gets moldy real quick, because I don't have a good storage space for it. It ends up in the mulch pile before I can finish using it. On a personal note, I really like how the chopped stuff spreads out and it's easy for the chickens to walk on.

 

[coolcanoechic]

Hi Nancy .......... thanks for inviting me over to get an "up close and personal" view of your coop and bedding experiment. It was wonderful meeting you and I was very impressed!! It was 90 degrees outside and your coop was immaculate and smelled fresh. The chopped hay looks so much cleaner and neater than the pine shavings that make such a mess. On my way home I stopped by our local TSC and didn't see any but I did find out that our local Agway dealer has some. I'll be trying this experiment myself this week. I love the idea that it is "dust free". I'll let you know how I make out! P.S. Your coop is FABULOUS!! You're girls are very lucky.

Awww! Thanks!
The bag of feed says that they remove the dust. It makes it so much nicer when I'm cleaning, which is basically turning over the straw with a rake to mix it up. No dust flies up in the air.

 

[BeccaSmith]

Interesting thread! This year we changed from regular straw (not chopped) to the Rose Bud Pine Shavings/Chips. We found that the chicken poop wasn't breaking down with the straw and it was really bad smelling after a while. We haven't had any problems with smell with the pine shavings/chips so far! Would chopped straw make much of a difference compared to non chopped?

 

[Daisy8s]

Interesting thread! This year we changed from regular straw (not chopped) to the Rose Bud Pine Shavings/Chips. We found that the chicken poop wasn't breaking down with the straw and it was really bad smelling after a while. We haven't had any problems with smell with the pine shavings/chips so far! Would chopped straw make much of a difference compared to non chopped?

I think the finer chopped the bedding is the better it will work for deep litter.

The whole reason regular straw is used in horse stalls is because it will make a solid surface under the manure so the person can slide their fork under the manure pile and lift the pile, along with its base of straw, out of the stall in one neat movement. This is great for animals with large manure, such as horses...but terrible for chicken poop because the straw holds the chicken manure up in the air for maximum smelliness.

If you want the chickens to turn under their fresh manure, hence decreasing the smell, then you need a finely chopped bedding that doesn't hold up the manure the way regular, baled straw does.

People use the terms "hay" and "straw" almost interchangeably when they're completely different products from a variety of plants. If you ever get the chance to handle plants (grasses) that will become hay vs plants that will become straw (the stalks of grains such as wheat or rye) then you'll see why one would be good for absorbing moisture and the other would not. Bedding with straw is sort of like bedding with the twig part of a plant--not so absorbent. Bedding with grasses (such as hay) is like bedding with the leaf part of a plant--generally more friable and absorbent.

(sorry for the rant but this is my biggest pet peeve!)

 

[coolcanoechic]

Interesting thread! This year we changed from regular straw (not chopped) to the Rose Bud Pine Shavings/Chips. We found that the chicken poop wasn't breaking down with the straw and it was really bad smelling after a while. We haven't had any problems with smell with the pine shavings/chips so far! Would chopped straw make much of a difference compared to non chopped?

Well, What I have found...being a neat freak, is that the shavings made me crazy. They had an awful smell really fast after changing them. They also didn't look very nice all piled up in the mulch pile and they take some time to break down. It was one of those beddings I couldn't wait to get rid of.

If I may, I'll start from the beginning. My hubby has had lots of pets in the past with his ex wife that just totally left a bad taste in his mouth. He has been totally against having any kind of pets...period! I can understand how he feels having taken care of horses, cats, and afghan hounds that he was really fed up with it. I, on the other hand, grew up with dogs and cats, guinne pigs, rabbits, birds, and hampsters. After 10 years with my man, and no pets, I convinced him that I wanted chickens. My brother wanted to give me some pullets. To make a long story short. I knew the reason my hubby was turned off by pets, was because of smells, poop in the yard and other things. I told him that chickens are not pets, but farm yard animals and that they would never be in the house or make poops all over the lawn to clean up. I have made it my mission to keep a spotless and non smelly coop to prove to him that it is ok to have chickens and he has no worries whatsoever. He is now an avid chicken lover who spends more time with those girls than I do!

Anyway, back to your question. I prefer the chopped straw because it isn't as lumpy as the non chopped stuff. I have a small coop and it just works better for my situation. I think it easier for the chickens to walk on and easier to stir up when cleaning. Even when my chickies were babies, it was good for them to walk on because it seems to settle quickly into a flat surface.
The chopped straw is very very dry, so when there are wet poops, they dry up quickly. I hope this helps answer your question,

 

[coolcanoechic]

I think the finer chopped the bedding is the better it will work for deep litter.

The whole reason regular straw is used in horse stalls is because it will make a solid surface under the manure so the person can slide their fork under the manure pile and lift the pile, along with its base of straw, out of the stall in one neat movement. This is great for animals with large manure, such as horses...but terrible for chicken poop because the straw holds the chicken manure up in the air for maximum smelliness.

If you want the chickens to turn under their fresh manure, hence decreasing the smell, then you need a finely chopped bedding that doesn't hold up the manure the way regular, baled straw does.

People use the terms "hay" and "straw" almost interchangeably when they're completely different products from a variety of plants. If you ever get the chance to handle plants (grasses) that will become hay vs plants that will become straw (the stalks of grains such as wheat or rye) then you'll see why one would be good for absorbing moisture and the other would not. Bedding with straw is sort of like bedding with the twig part of a plant--not so absorbent. Bedding with grasses (such as hay) is like bedding with the leaf part of a plant--generally more friable and absorbent.

(sorry for the rant but this is my biggest pet peeve!)

I like it. Rant as much as you like!

 

[furbabymum]

I would agree with that absolutely, I have tried hay on ocasion and when I can't use up a whole bale right away, it gets moldy real quick, because I don't have a good storage space for it. It ends up in the mulch pile before I can finish using it. On a personal note, I really like how the chopped stuff spreads out and it's easy for the chickens to walk on.

It does mold when left out in the elements. Then it smells awful and is terrible for animals and humans health. I go through it fast enough that I don't have that issue. I also have a very large coop as it's actually my barn so I don't have a problem with them walking on it. It lays out pretty flat. I have about a 3 inch depth right now. I do throw scratch down every once in awhile so the chickens will turn the hay over for me. I'm lazy like that. I do say I love hay for it. Chopped or otherwise it's just a great bedding.