Best Bedding other than pine shavings?

[CaramelKittey]

Hi all!
What is the best bedding YOU (Or a relative/friend) have used, other than pine shavings? We have used pine shavings every year, but I was wondering what other GOOD options there are. I've been trying to do research online, but all I've been able to find is bedding that most chicken owners have told me is either too hard to clean, or bad for their feet.
Thank you in advance!

 

[JacinLarkwell]

We use hay/straw/alfalfa that's not good enough for the animals here to eat

 

[Minidinochickens]

Sand

 

[GC-Raptor]

I've used pine shavings, and Alfalfa separately.
Alfalfa has to much powder to use by itself.
I've used a combo of straw and shavings, I like it.
I am currently using just shavings, but during winter season I put some Alfalfa on top of shavings.

In nests I've used straw, shavings, a combo of both and Alfalfa. Won't use Alfalfa in nests again.
I'm currently using shavings, but I like a combo with straw, just need to go to independent farm and hardware to get a bale. GC

 

[3KillerBs]

I unintentionally tried straw once when the guy at the feed store convinced my husband that I should and I didn't like it. I had to clean the coop out in only half the time.

But I mix leaves, pine straw, and dried grass clipping with the shavings and consider it superior to using shavings alone.

 

[RRM]

We use sand in both the coop and run, and decided to try sand in the brooder on the last batch of chicks instead of pine shavings. This batch of chicks were hatched 7/22/20 and moved out to their transition pen inside the big run at 3-1/2 weeks old.
We found that keeping the sand clean was much easier than pine shavings. Sand sucks the moisture out of the poop pretty quick, and it seemed that the brooder didn’t smell as bad as it did when we used pine shavings. We cut the bottom out of a large plastic sour cream tub and hot glued screen wire on the bottom of the container, and used it to sift the sand in the brooder every day to remove the poop. Also noticed the chicks started performing their dust bath rituals at about 3-4 days old in the sand, while previour batches of chicks in pine shaving didn’t do dust baths till they were moved out in the run.
We have another batch of 25 Australorp chicks scheduled to hatch on 9/22/20, and intend to use sand in the brooder for them as well.

 

[CaramelKittey]

We use sand in both the coop and run, and decided to try sand in the brooder on the last batch of chicks instead of pine shavings. This batch of chicks were hatched 7/22/20 and moved out to their transition pen inside the big run at 3-1/2 weeks old.
We found that keeping the sand clean was much easier than pine shavings. Sand sucks the moisture out of the poop pretty quick, and it seemed that the brooder didn’t smell as bad as it did when we used pine shavings. We cut the bottom out of a large plastic sour cream tub and hot glued screen wire on the bottom of the container, and used it to sift the sand in the brooder every day to remove the poop. Also noticed the chicks started performing their dust bath rituals at about 3-4 days old in the sand, while previour batches of chicks in pine shaving didn’t do dust baths till they were moved out in the run.
We have another batch of 25 Australorp chicks scheduled to hatch on 9/22/20, and intend to use sand in the brooder for them as well.

Thank you! I never even thought about the fact that chicks couldn't dust bathe in pine shavings. Using sand makes so much sense, and I'm sure it helps reduce the parasite load.

 

[RRM]

I will also add that if we hadn’t moved the chicks to their transition pen at 3-1/2 weeks old, we would have changed the sand out. Chicks poop ALOT, and since the sand sucks moisture from the poop, you get some dried poop fines that sift through the screen with the sand. I’d recommend changing out your sand when that starts happening to keep smell down.
Will also add that our brooder floor space was 3’ by 4’ and we started with approximately 3/4” layer of sand, basically a 5 gallon bucket full.