Coffee Chaff as litter?

[LaurasLorps]

I read an article on Mother Earth News last week about someone who used coffee chaff (leftovers from the roasting process) as litter in their coop. The author and his chickens love it, and I must admit, it sounds nice. It would compost faster than my pine shavings, clumps well with the poo, is really cheap/potentially free and it smells like coffee!
There is a place about 15 miles from us that roasts coffee and I am thinking about calling them to see what they do with their chaff, but before I do that, I'd like to get some opinions of BYCers

Have any of you used coffee chaff in your coops? Did you like it? What are so more pros/cons?

Oh, here is a link to the Mother Earth News article: [http://www.motherearthnews.com/Happy-Homesteader/Coffee-Chaff-Chicken-Coop-Litter.aspx]

 

[I-Have-Happy-Hens]

Hi,

Yes I use it a couple times its ok, if you do use it DO NOT put it in your nesting boxes the chaff sticks to the wet egg and looks like poo and it does not come of easyly at all.

And you will need pine shaveings still because if you just use the chaff its really fluffy and light so it gets in the waterers and feeders and there is sometimes there is a couple whole coffee beans. And JMHO it makes the coop look dirty because its dark browm/black.

What I did like about it was it made the coop/run smell like coffee not for long though, probably my favorite part about it was when I had it in the brooder and the chicks dust bathed in it I would pick Her up and she would smell like coffee it was so cute! and it was free but also just to add it takes alot off coffee to amount to much, I do not know how big your coffee rosting place is but we got about a 1/4 a trash bag full a week.( sorry thats what they gave it to us In)


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Happy-Hens

 

[ll]

I read another board about "chaff" -

pro: free!

con: it will make the soil acidic, I have used it in soil before for Hostas which don't mind acidity (they grow under pines which also make the ground acidic). You can amend this or use it around plants that like acid soil. (the PH = acidic/alkaline)

 

[CarolinaChickenKeeper]

You can get all of the chaff you want for "FREE" which is good. I have a bag full, but havent used it yet........