Chicken bedding...

[chickneggs]

So I worked my butt off tonight cleaning the chicken's coop and I opened the bag of bedding, to find that is was pretty much saw dust, not the woodlike chips I was hoping for...

Is there anything I can do to make the saw dust safe and workable in the coop or should I reclean the bedding again and replace it? Love my girls and want the best for their health; just don't want to overthink something that may be okay for them.

 

[chickneggs]

I did run into town and pick up an actual bag of chicken bedding and did a redo; the chickens were less than impressed since they were roosting, ready for bed (I placed them out in the run, with the door closed between us, so the dust wouldn't effect them while I cleaned). I couldn't breathe good with the dust from the previous bedding (not sure the wood type; it varies), so figured it wasn't good for the girls either. My neighbor does cabinet making for his business and gives me bags of wood shavings. All of them have been blessings, but this last bag was just too dusty. Will be sure to stay away from anything too dusty from here on out. Thank you everyone for the replies!

 

[Tonyroo]

Good rule of thumb, if your messing with the bedding and you experience breathing issues your chickens will be dealing with it too.

 

[Kirkwooder]

I use very fine sawdust all the time. Works great and never had any respiratory issues. It's collected from a neighbor with a band mill, so it's like fine corn meal. Been using it for years. It's so fine my hens often dust bathe in it. Dust bathing is great way to keep insect infestations at bay. Straw and hay harbor insects like fleas and ticks. I have used all kinds of bedding and find the fine sawdust to be the best. By far!

Just my $.02

 

[aart]

So I worked my butt off tonight cleaning the chicken's coop and I opened the bag of bedding, to find that is was pretty much saw dust, not the woodlike chips I was hoping for...

Is there anything I can do to make the saw dust safe and workable in the coop or should I reclean the bedding again and replace it? Love my girls and want the best for their health; just don't want to overthink something that may be okay for them.

It'll be fine for now.
Bad bag or different brand or ...?

 

[okiegirl47]

So I worked my butt off tonight cleaning the chicken's coop and I opened the bag of bedding, to find that is was pretty much saw dust, not the woodlike chips I was hoping for...

Is there anything I can do to make the saw dust safe and workable in the coop or should I reclean the bedding again and replace it? Love my girls and want the best for their health; just don't want to overthink something that may be okay for them.

I know it is expensive but I have been using hemp and it's the best thing I've ever used. Hemp won't cause respiratory irritation like pine can, it's completely non-toxic, long lasting and absorbs odors incredibly well, as long as you don't have too many hens in one space. You can use what's called the deep litter method and the hemp will last months to about a year without being changed. Then it can be composted for fertilizer. You'll need to have something on the bottom of the coop of course so the hemp doesn't fall through. I'm using a plastic tray from a dog kennel I have because it happened to be the right size. You could use untreated wood or some type of food grade laminate. Hope this helps.

 

[Brooks_]

Sounds weird. Wait for a more experienced opinion, but I think a small flake bedding would still be fine as long as it is deep enough.

 

[ameliathedominant]

good. blessings on your hens!

 

[chickneggs]

Good rule of thumb, if your messing with the bedding and you experience breathing issues your chickens will be dealing with it too.

That is exactly how I've been doing things since this happened.

I was hoping that night to find a trick so I wouldn't have to reclean everything. Plus it meant me driving 15 minutes into town for fresh bedding, plus the time recleaning it. But it was worth it. I slept good that night, knowing the girls were SAFE in the coop. I think I'm just going to stick with store bought bedding again, as the woodchips I've been given recently haven't been chicken friendly. Better safe than sorry!

 

[ameliathedominant]

if the bedding chips are small like that it can get in to their nostrils and cause respritory problems... i suggest you redo...