Alternatives to wood shavings?

[heybarb]

We use sand inside the coop and haven't had any trouble with it tracking around much. I mix in a little DE and scoop the poop once every 2 weeks or so. Very simple to keep clean & dry.

 

[Muffin14143]

Hmm, I know this is going to sound like a dumb question, but, if I got them wood pellets as bedding, they wouldn't eat them thinking they are food right? I feed my bantams pellets and I wouldn't want them to mistake the wood for food.

 

[OldGuy43]

In a word, no.

Stall Dry and most similar products are not wood pellets. They are primarily diatomaceous earth.

 

[jojomojo]

The pellets we use are 100% wood (like this). Even the kind for pellet stoves are okay, just check with the manufacturer as to how & with what they are made. They do look a little like food pellets, but my chickens have never had a problem (been using pellets for bedding since they were chicks).

 

[donrae]

In a word, no.

Stall Dry and most similar products are not wood pellets. They are primarily diatomaceous earth.

That was just a name that came to mind, but the pellets I used were all pine, just compressed into pellets.

Your birds might taste them, but they're actually fairly bright about what not to eat (although styrafoam is a whole nother thing!) and won't ingest much.

 

[jhabaa1]

I like the sand idea. I know my girls seem to like to dust in the wood having gas, so I keep it clean, but sand would make it easier to use a kitty litter scooper.

 

[swga]

Rice hulls are AWESOME. When we had the chicks in a bin at first, we used the fine wood shavings and SUCH a mess! We switched to rice hulls and it was so much better! Also, the poop dries up and can be scooped out with a kitty litter scoop. The only drawback to them is the price, which is a bit high.
We use larger wood chips now from an old stump that was chipped out.
If you have a wood chipper you can pick up branches and chop them up for chicken litter.
Also, grasses gathered from clippings or leaves raked up (you can pick up bags of them from your neighbors for free!) make great chicken litter and great mulch and compost after the coop

 

[Muffin14143]

Where do you buy rice hull bedding? It sounds really nice. Wood shavings are just such a mess.

 

[jojomojo]

Rice hulls are AWESOME. When we had the chicks in a bin at first, we used the fine wood shavings and SUCH a mess! We switched to rice hulls and it was so much better! Also, the poop dries up and can be scooped out with a kitty litter scoop. The only drawback to them is the price, which is a bit high.
We use larger wood chips now from an old stump that was chipped out.
If you have a wood chipper you can pick up branches and chop them up for chicken litter.
Also, grasses gathered from clippings or leaves raked up (you can pick up bags of them from your neighbors for free!) make great chicken litter and great mulch and compost after the coop

Did you ever have a problem with rice hulls & ants? I've read a few times that ants love it.

 

[Muffin14143]

Hm, I actually haven't. I don't think that would be a problem for me though, because my coop is raised off the ground about 4 feet, inside a shed. I don't think ants could get in. If they did, I would just use ant traps.