Anyone else use straw as bedding?

[urbanolive]

One of mine ate a bunch of straw last week. I found it hanging out her backside and I couldn't get it all. She hasn't pooped in days . It isn't impacted crop, it's in her intestines and she might not make it. I took all the straw out yesterday from the nesting boxes and replaced with pine shavings. WOULD NOT RECOMMEND IT !

 

[usschicago1]

I use it and ive never had a problem

 

[pardenx3]

We use hay, because we have draft horses so there is always hay around.

 

[spangledcornish]

hey everyone I would like to add I have used shavings and straw. I perfer to use shavings, we have one shed where we only have a dirt floor granted not desirable we had more issues with rodents when we used straw. I also like the fact for our northern winters i can turn the shavings much easier that straw to make a more effective bedded pack in the winter.

With that said for our water fowl I do use mixture of the two

 

[DIMBY]

I use both, but this winter I've used a layer of shavings in the hen houses with lots of straw on top for insulation, especially since my hens prefer the unheated hen house. However, in the summer, I use wood shavings without straw. I also have a droppings board in their "summer" hen house and that has made life considerably easier.

 

[Scoop]

It's a little scary hearing these stories of chickens eating straw and then having a problem. But I've seen my chickens eating chips also. That totally freaks me out. Some of them chips are BIG. So I'm just wondering if anyone ever had a problem with chickens eating chips. ?

 

[urbanolive]

Quote:
Just an update on my Daisy that ate a bunch of straw last week : She has been in her "hospital" cage for over a week now, honestly I don't know how she survived without pooping. After dripping mineral oil and olive oil down her beak, feeding acidic foods,ect, she finally pooped a ton of straw out yesterday- I mean a ton. She is obviously very relieved as she was on death's door. I am still watching her closely though because I saw yolk hanging out her backside with the straw when it first happened. Too much trouble people ! Straw sucks!

 

[adkchickmama]

I use both straw and chips. Found that the wood chips were very slippery on the linoleum floor and not giving enough insulation in the winter. So put down some straw. The girls did the mixing. I can still clean poop out easily as the wood chips keep the straw loose enough to work. I agree with Scoop you definately should use a respirator or mask of some kind when cleaning the coop as the dust from poop, straw and wood shavings is not good to breathe in!

 

[MareeZoCool]

I use straw. I like how easy it is to rake out, then re-use as fertilizer for my gardens and as a ground cover on the bare spots in my yard. The birds help spread the new bale all over the coop floor.
Another plus(for me) is that I can pick up a bale at my local quick-stop for $5.00, and it lasts for two complete clean-outs in my coop.
The downside, the bales can be messy in the trunk of my car! I keep a spare sheet back there for straw hauling.

 

[Hangin Wit My Peeps]

I was asking myself the same thing and started a thread LONG ago and had the same kind of responses...some like it, some hate it. I personally couldn't bring myself to go with staw/hay because just before I got chickens and after I posted my thread, my friend lost one to an impacted crop. She opened the bird because she wanted to know why it died and found the crop SO impacted with it. That made me go with pine shavings and have for the past two years. Plus her coop really smelled bad, she too switched to pine after that and she called me telling me how big of a difference it was. Said her coop no longer smelled and A LOT less work for her now. Now she does the deep litter method and loves it.