Straw bales

[WIchickMama]

Best straw bales for the run? We have wheat, barley, rye and oat available in my area. Any significant differences? Will they bring in any pests/diseases?

 

[3KillerBs]

Whatever straw is cheapest at the farm store.

There is a difference between straw and hay -- with hay being a high-nitrogen, compost "green" and straw being the high-carbon, compost "brown" that you want to react with the high-nitrogen chicken poop. There is a difference between long straw and chopped straw in how it handles and how likely it is to form mats, but differences between one kind of long straw and another are unlikely to be significant.

I don't worry about pests potentially already being in straw, etc. when I buy from a reputable source that would lose a lot of money by providing bug-invested goods to large numbers of regular customers.

I have not yet had any kind of bug problem with my chickens but if I were to have such a problem I would expect it to come from the wild birds rather than anything I purchased at a farm story.

The main risk with straw is that it can be prone to packing, matting, and forming anaerobic pockets unless it is mixed with other forms of bedding to keep it fluffy. One way to manage this is to throw a handful of scratch into the bedding regularly to harness the power of chicken labor to keep it fluffy. Another is to get in there with a pitchfork and flip it around yourself when it seems to need it.

 

[LizzzyJo]

Any of these are fine if from a good source, as @3KillerBs said. Mine absolutely love to tear the sh*t out of a bale of straw. I don't use it as bedding, just fun for about two weeks before taking it back out and composting it. You can also hide treats in it for fun if they can't free range for a while.

 

[3KillerBs]

Any of these are fine if from a good source, as @3KillerBs said. Mine absolutely love to tear the sh*t out of a bale of straw. I don't use it as bedding, just fun for about two weeks before taking it back out and composting it. You can also hide treats in it for fun if they can't free range for a while.

I should note that the intact straw bales that I use in the run are, unless torn apart by the birds, used at mulch in my garden later rather than chicken bedding because they do get moldy inside.

 

[WIchickMama]

Thank you!!

Yes, would be getting from the local co-op/farm store.

Yes, looking to add to run for something to do and to keep them off the small bit of snow that might get in there.

 

[WIchickMama]

I should note that the intact straw bales that I use in the run are, unless torn apart by the birds, used at mulch in my garden later rather than chicken bedding because they do get moldy inside.

Good to know

 

[Brooks_]

they do get moldy inside.

I had wondered, but never asked, about that from pics you have posted.

 

[3KillerBs]

I had wondered, but never asked, about that from pics you have posted.

My climate and drainage conditions don't lead to the bales disintegrating into a slimy mess of intense sogginess as might happen in other areas, but I keep an eye on their condition.

 

[3KillerBs]

Not sure why you want bales in a winter run.

I use them as chicken-level wind-baffles and entertainment.

 

[aart]

I use them as chicken-level wind-baffles and entertainment.

There are more efficient wind blocks for our climates up here.