Which is better pine shavings or straw?

[Gloria]

And what are the pros and cons of straw verses pine shavings? I use straw and was just wondering what everyone else thought about it.
Thanks for your help on this,

 

[MsBentleyboy]

I use straw but it's not recommended for small chicks. I've already had one chick with a hurt leg (reason unknown). I figured it could have been the straw. Their tiny legs are fragile.

 

[spook]

Use Pine Shavings, never ceder as it will make them ill.
Also, you shouldn't use hay or straw as they will eat it, CAN become crop bound. If you look under disease/illness/___(if I had a brain somedays it would be lonesom!) there is a graffic surgery on a crop that was impacted with straw. This will show you why I stopped making hay, straw, fresh mown grass available to my birds. The only grass they eat is on the lawn.
Do as you wish, but if you wander around these parts of the forum , you will know what your answer will be.
Take care! kel

 

[zatsdeb]

I use pine shavings for the babies, but straw in the nesting boxes for the bigger hens.

 

[hollybird]

i have never had problems with straw or dried lawn clippings. the hens show them what to eat and the grass looks less like crumbles than the wood chip fines. the wheat or other big stems are somewhat of a trip hazard but i have never had a leg injury.

 

[MamaheninKY]

I've always used pine shavings because I heard it was best but when finances got tight I bought some straw and after watching my chickens they really seem to enjoy the straw a lot more. They seem happier. I have older chickens and would definitely go back to the pine shavings if I have small chicks again because it's easier to identify any kind of problems with droppings.

 

[therealsilkiechick]

i have used hay, straw and pine shaveings. the hay i was allergic to and made a mess with particals everywhere,lol. the straw didn't bother me so bad but both doesn't absorb poo like it should and makes the eggs dirtier from all the poo sitting on top and needed changed more often.

i went back to pine shaveings for all of them. the eggs stay clean, the babies have it from hatch, pens only need cleaned once a week instead of every 3 days. the birds stay cleaner and can dust bath easier. in winter i just pile the floors of the coop abou 8" thick. whatever kind of dust u use weather de or whatever it works great with the bedding. if it gets wet it dries out faster where as the other 2 don't it gets moldy and stinky fast. the only con i can think of is it's more dusty useing pine but the birds seam healthier and happier with it and clean up is so much easier.

 

[LilRalphieRoosmama]

In our one coop, we use only straw/hay (because DBF is stubborn/cheap LOL). In my coop, I use pine shavings mostly and sometimes add some straw/hay.

I prefer the shavings because they are at least somewhat absorbent. I also find them easier to clean and the coop doesn't get quite as stinky/dirty as fast as just using hay/straw only.

 

[DLS]

I have a concrete floor in the "COOP" I just use a concret broom & then hose it out 2 times a week easy clean & no smell.=

 

[SundownWaterfowl]

I use hay for the laying boxes. In my new layer house I use pine shavings.