A bale of hay in the coop for winter (?)

[Buff Hooligans]

Joe, I throw a bit of hay in the run for entertainment for the girls. But it does get pooey and stays wet during damp weather. So I rake it out about every two weeks and throw in some more fresh.

I don't put hay in with the shavings in the coop.

 

[joebryant]

Quote:
Again, thanks, everyone, I'm going to give it a try to see if the four chickens can refrain from making too much of a mess in the coop this winter. There will probably be several days when they'll have to stay locked in the coop all day because of inclement weather. Sure hope it works out.

Lynne, thanks much for the photos; their using the bales to jump down on from the roost is mostly what I wanted the hay bales for. You must be a mind reader. Someone (maybe you) suggested my using a bale of hay for that purpose a couple of weeks ago, but I just wasn't sure. The more I thought about it, the more I wondered how it'd go. Sounds like it might not make too much of a mess, so I'm going to replace the wooden panel that they jump down to now; the bale will be a much softer landing when they hop from three feet up, and they'll have something to nibble on if they get bored.
It's sure worth a try, so I'll get at least one bale this week. THANKS

 

[Beer4myhorses]

JB,

At least my chickens, LOVE alfalfa!!!! I have horses and used to gather up some of the leaves and feed it to the birds as a treat. They went nuts over it. I would NOT use alfalfa.

Now...I have also put a grass hay in the coop and like others have said, they scratch at it and it eventually just goes away.

I would think that over time, it will be a great big mess to clean up...pooped on, scattered about...

Just my $.02