Best Coop Bedding??

[JacksHomestead]

welcome. I use 3 different things. I have been using pine shavings in the coop. One bag for 5 bucks fills up my 10x8 coop. It seems to add a lot of cushion for them when they jump off the roost. If you decide on shavings I have found 2 types. I use the flakes because the staff at TSC told me to avoid the other because there was a lot of dust. Others may have different opinions of it but that is what I have learned. I put straw in my run and they love to scratch that looking for treats. Lastly I have an elevated coop and underneath it I dug out a trench of my hard packed clay soil and replaced it with sand. They love to sit in the sand and of course take an occasional dust bath.

Yeah i use the flakes for my quail tractor so i may just use it for the girls too but i also used sand in the run and how often do you put in fresh straw fro them to scratch around in ??

 

[Bine]

I use a mix of straw and linen chaff (1:2). The poop dries up soon, you can shift it out like with cat litter, no bad smells even in a wet and hot summer and once removed from the coop, it breaks down easy to a very fine commpost that is great for gardening.
The girls love to dig into it for a dust bath or - when brought in fresh- to look for flaxseed that is left in the linen chaff.
A great help if you need to entertain your hens indoor for some time b/c of bad weahter.
Only con is that it sticks to your shoes and trousers when esp. when wet.

 

[JacksHomestead]

Thanks for the info everyone!!

 

[loujeany]

actually I just finished my run not too long ago and threw my first bale of straw down so I am still on the first batch and not sure how often I will need to change it.

 

[ChickenMammX4]

Coop - pine shavings
PoopBoard - PDZ
Nesting Boxes - sweet timothy hay

Run - grass clippings, straw, old pine shavings, leaves and weeds pulled from the landscaping

 

[4season]

I started my coop with dead leaves on the floor. I added grass clippings on top and later some wood chips from a tree service companies chipper. I also use saw dust on my poop boards which get cleaned every 2 weeks. But the floor of the coop has only been cleaned once after about a year. There was never much of a smell in the coop except for one time that I was sick and the poop board went for 3 weeks in the spring between cleaning. It also helps that I only have 6 hens in a 6ftx 6ft coop. I also use hay in the nesting boxes and it never gets cleaned just new hay added when it is not fluffy anymore.

 

[beginnergirl]

I am a beginner, so hope someone can chime in. I've been buying sawdust from a garden store for the coop. It is more like small wood chips that is sold at the farm store, but much cheaper. The wood is fir. But if I put down wet veggies, the chips can stick to the food. Hens seem healthy, but if they eat a little wood, is this a problem? I had been using wood pellets, but if they got wet, they turned to sawdust anyway.

Can scratch be put in straw? I always throw in chopped fresh grass, clover and veggies everyday and the hens can find those as they are a different color. But it seems easier for the hens to forage in the run which is dry chopped grass. The girls seem to like it. But the coop is new so I will need to add something else soon. Probably straw.

Any suggestions on using straw?
Thanks for advice.

 

[ChickenMammX4]

Honestly I don't think the chickens will have any problem finding scratch no matter what material is on the run floor. I know mine scratch around in 6" of grass and straw to find bugs, sunflower seeds and scratch. Keeps them busy!

 

[Herdsman01]

I am a beginner, so hope someone can chime in. I've been buying sawdust from a garden store for the coop. It is more like small wood chips that is sold at the farm store, but much cheaper.  The wood is fir. But if I put down wet veggies, the chips can stick to the food. Hens seem healthy, but if they eat a little wood, is this a problem? I had been using wood pellets, but if they got wet, they turned to sawdust anyway.

Can scratch be put in straw? I always throw in chopped fresh grass, clover and veggies everyday and the hens can find those as they are a different color.  But it seems easier for the hens to forage in the run which is dry chopped grass. The girls seem to like it. But the coop is new so I will need to add something else soon. Probably straw.

Any suggestions on using straw?
Thanks for advice.

Yep chickens will be able to find scratch in straw. It can be tricky for them to see it. Just make sure they see you throw the scratch down and they won't have a problem. If they spend all their time in the coop and normally scratch through their bedding they shouldn't have a problem finding the grains either. As far as using straw there's really nothing to it. Throw it down, spread it out and call it good. I normally spread it pretty thick when I start with fresh bedding.

 

[beginnergirl]

Herdsman & Chickenmamm,

Thanks! This forum is so great! I'm excited to get straw today. So much to learn about chickens. My hens go out in an X pen that I move every couple days so they are only in the coop and run about 12 hours.

When I get the fence reinforced and get brave enough, I will try letting my girls free range when I am with them.