I think what you choose really does depend on your coop and run setup and your climate, plus the current weather, and add in the chickens' current mood. We have an old horse barn that's on a decent slope, and started with a dirt floor. We've used pine shavings, straw, pine needles, etc. We have...
I got my first chickens this past March, which turned out to be 12 hens (2 Dominiques, 3 Speckled Sussex, 3 Leghorns, 3 White Rocks and 1 Easter Egger) and 2 RIR roosters. Having had parrots for over 25 years until last year, I've been a bird brain for a long time.
Two of my girls are...