Using hay in the floor of hen house

[greyhorsewoman]

I actually have to pay MORE for straw. Hence why we just use some of our horse hay. (Guess I shouldn't mention that is the price delivered to our barn ... we just have to unload.)

 

[chick4chix]

I use pine shavings for the bottom floor of the ark and under their roosts and hay in the nest boxes.
My local feed barn gives me the hay for free- its what falls all over the ground when they are loading it, stacking it etc- they let me collect however much I want- so I fill a few paper bags worth whenever I'm there getting chicken food and dog food.

 

[Freckle Face Farm]

I use DE I mix it in the feed it keeps the flies and smells away, I can definetly tell if I stop using it... I dust the coops with it..If you deciede to buy it make sure it is food grade the other De will kill your chickens look for perma quard if you want to find out more about DE..There web site explains the different kinds..

 

[chica57]

I use pine shavings-works great-straw in bedding-I was told not to use hay because eventually it will mold if you don't change it real often.

 

[chick4chix]

3 chickens- I use Food grade DE too- in their food- sprinkled in the nests- under their roosts, in the bedding on the floor - I even rub it into the roost when I clean it off once a week- it works wonders

 

[chevydmax04]

I used pine shaving for two years worked great, tried hay this summer and it is much more messy and has to be changed out more often casue it stinks. Pine shaving smell better, you can turn them a few times and just keep adding. I just went back to pine shavings for the winter and it is much cleaner!

 

[WisconsinGardenChick]

Quote:
According to this article The Home Flock for Beginners , hay is a bad idea because it is high in nitrogen. The goal is to keep the carbon (bedding) to nitrogen (manure) ratio high. That's why wood shavings are preferable. Here's a quote from the article:

Materials for litter should be as high in carbon as possible (to balance the high nitrogen in the droppings), and include leaves (oak leaves are my favorite) and wood shavings. Sawdust and woodchips can be used, though they should be aged first, never used in their “green” state. I avoid straw because it can support growth of Aspergillus molds, whose spores do the lungs of neither you nor your birds any good. I read reports, however, of folks who use straw over an earth floor with satisfactory results.

As in a compost heap, the decompositional microbes use the nitrogen in the droppings as energy (food) source as they break down the litter into simpler elements. As the carbon in the litter is used up, the nitrogen can no longer be utilized efficiently by the microbes and begins outgassing to the atmosphere as ammonia, a compound of nitrogen and hydrogen. Breathing ammonia is bad for your birds’ delicate respiratory tissues, so that first whiff of ammonia is your signal to clean out the litter, or add fresh high-carbon material.

Materials higher in nitrogen such as hay and threshed soybean vines are not appropriate for litter, since they decompose too quickly, and release ammonia.

I hope this is helpful to you!

Katherine​

 

[WisconsinGardenChick]

farmin'chick :

What is DE and how necessary is it?

DE stands for Diatomaceous Earth. It is an insecticide that is considered non-toxic (get Food Grade DE). It will help keep down lice and mites, other bugs, etc. The birds like to dust in it, too. You want to avoid breathing the dust.​

Diatomaceous Earth is NOT an insecticide. [Edited to add: I mean, it is not a CHEMICAL insecticide.] It is an abrasive powder, made of fossilized remains of diatoms, a type of hard-shelled algae. It kills insects when they eat it because it is abrasive; thus it kills them mechanically, rather than chemically - which makes it a safer, organic pest control.

I've never used it in a coop or run, but have used it around the foundation of the house. I've noticed many people here use it for their chickens. I keep wondering, is it safe for their respiratory system? It's not for ours... I always use a mask when applying it around the foundation of the house. I'm curious to know where I can learn more about chickens and DE.

Katherine​

 

[WisconsinGardenChick]

Quote:
This is a great idea and probably the only way hay should be used in a coop, due to its high nitrogen content. That would be some fantastic compost.

Katherine

 

[Guinea Goonie]

grass hay (not alfalfa) in the nesting boxes and this gets replaced every month. Other wise it starts to smell.

I gave up on the hay for the floors. The hens kept making nests !!

I use small pine shavings (about a bag per 12 ft sq )

The rest of the barn is dirt and I rake it about once a month.