Straw in coop?

[nekomi]

Does anyone here use straw in their coop as bedding? I've been using wood chips, but I'm not happy with how long they take to break down in my compost bin.

(Yes, only a homesteader would use such a wierd reason!) Also, I think straw would be more environmentally-friendly because it's a renewable resource, as opposed to the hardwoods used in making chips.

Anyone do this, and if so, does it work out well for you? Or is straw a commonly-used bedding that I'm just not aware of?

 

[Quack Shack]

For me, hay/straw holds odor, costs more and makes for a muddy mess when it rains. I use shavings in the nesting boxes and a cat litter scoop so the bedding remains fresh longer. I use sterilized sand on the ground and it has greatly reduced the number of flies. As for compost, I have 2 different piles: veggie and chicken. I use the chicken compost with shavings as a mulch and save my grass cuttings to keep the veggie compost cooking. Hope that helps you decide and save some $$.

 

[Big Chicken Little]

I use the shavings as garden mulch. There is enough poo in it to be a every effective fertilizer I don't put it on too thick since it has not composted and could burn the plants. I used the last batch on some pumpkins and they are real nice this year. Fruit trees love the stuff. I used to use straw but not as effective keeping the odor down.

 

[citrusdreams]

Straw will leave the coop and run wet, smelly and eventually moldy. I've been using pine shavings with a generous dusting of of DE underneath it. It works really well and would be great for the compost bin.

 

[RIVERA69R]

I use pine shavings on the coop floor and straw or cheap hay in the nesting box seems to work fine I love the pine shavings on the floor last a long time and no smell just scoop up poop and add a little shavings from time to time buy a huge bag at feed store cheap

 

[patandchickens]

Hardwood chips are not a great bedding, but have you tried pine (or other mixed softwood) shavings? Like the stuff sold in feedstores as horse bedding. It works really well.

Straw works too, although personally I don't like how hard it is to spot-clean (unless it's chopped, which I've never tried).

If your compost pile is not breaking down well, it's almost certainly because it's deficient in nitrogen and/or moisture. Which will still be more or less the case if you switch to straw. So it might be worth thinking about the composting angle in its own right.

The way most people clean their coops, the bedding is still too "clean" for good composting -- way too much carbonaceous bedding in relation to how much poo there is. THe solution is to add more high-nitrogen material, either "pure poo" off a droppings board, or "pure" other animal manure without bedding in it, or fresh grass clippings, or any other very-high-N source you prefer.

Also it can take a fair bit of water added to used bedding, especially shavings, to get it damp enough to compost well.

So, you can switch to straw (or shavings) if you want but it won't necessarily solve your problem as such, that may take additional tactics.

Good luck, have fun,

Pat

 

[lalaland]

I use hay in the coop - smells great, stays dry, gives the girls something to peck at if they are in the coop (winter days, severe storms, I'm late waking up....). I do pick up droppings from the roost area and any obvious ones, and I do add fresh hay as needed.

I clean the coop out totally twice a year, by that time the hay is broken into short strands and duff, and works great in the compost.

I didn't like straw - it didn't seem to break down much in the coop, didn't absorb anything so it did seem wetter, and it was slippery for me! I've read that straw is hollow and can house mites.

The first two years I raised chickens, I used pine shavings, which do work just fine - I just got tired of the expense and the hauling. Now I only use pine for the chicks for the first couple of weeks, then I move them to hay as well.

As a plus, a hay bale in the coop provides a great play thing - something to jump on, sleep on, runaround.....something to hide behind to keep away from the bossy girls, etc.

 

[Earl Grey Sian]

I use shredded paper. It's free, environmentally friendly, absorbent and breaks down quickly in the composter. What more could you want from a bedding??

 

[ducks4you]

Straw DOES stay put, if you are housing in, say, and old rabbit hutch with a hardware cloth floor, unlike shavings. Go with what you can afford best, and clean it up often.

In the winter, it's warm. I have used all 3--straw, hay and shavings.

 

[johnnalei]

When you use your hay bale in the coop, how do you keep the chickens from tearing it apart? I would love to do that (right now I'm using straw but my next bale w/probably be hay). I store it under the deck w/a tarp over it and held down w/weight, but my girls still manage to pull straw out daily and do their chicken thing w/it. I imagine at this point if they had free access, they would tear apart the bale in no time! Thanks for the tips