comment on straw vs pine shavings

[snowflake]

I use pine shavings, but they are closer to
$5 a bale. I also add some hay as it has a lot of grasses and seed something for them to scratch at during the day. I have thought of trying the wood pellets but they seem a bit costly and I wondered how deep you should lay them? the shavings seem to keep the coop dry and fresh. I even put some on the poop board to make it easier to clean off.

 

[eponagirl]

I put a layer of pellets about 2-3 inches and as it breaks down it fluffs up more. Since you don't need to change it out much, it is worth the cost...which isn't much more than shavings, but you probably use more bags at first. Suggest: Try it on a section of the coop and compare to see if you might like it.

 

[Chickn chick 46]

I use straw only when I can get it chopped up with our leaf mulcher. I usually use pine shavings though. I put a droppings board in the coop which has helped reduce the amount of shavings I have to go through to keep the coop clean.

 

[Dr HaHa]

I use both. I put down a layer of pine shavings with straw on top. I just did a complete cleanout last weekend for the first time since late last fall because I was starting to smell amonia on warm days and was surpised to find that the concrete was dry underneath except around the heated waterer. I've been using the deep litter method and just add straw on top every so often. The kids sleep on top of the nest boxes due to a design flaw from their newbie owner and I use pine shavings up there which I change weekly. My coop is very tight for the cold winter but this spring I'll be adding adjustable vents and I have an attic fan that has an adjustable thermostat for better air flow during the hot weather. Wait till my neighbor see's that. When I built the coop he said he was going to move into it. When I retire next spring I'm putting a sign at the end of the driveway. Fresh spoiled rotten chicken EGGS!

 

[Im Barred up]

I thought about switching to straw because when they jump down off the roost the fluffy pine shavings go into the waterer (small coop).... Clean the waterer more, or clean the coop more....sounds like odds is the difference.

 

[lookyhereboy]

I use straw in the nesting boxes. They haven't complained yet. They sleep on the roost in the hen house and I don't put anything down on the floor of the hen house since they only go in there to sleep on the roost and lay eggs. I do occasionally put straw down on the floor of the run. I can't free range so the girls stay confined but they have a good amount of area to play and scratch in.

 

[Mtn Laurel]

I try to stay away from hay and straw as I've read they'll harbor mites and such. Plus I don't really have the facilities to keep any extra straw around.

I use pine shavings mixed with dry leaves and the girls love it. I put the bagger on the mower and mow the leaves, then dump into the coop and run. The girls have a great time making nests in the chopped leaves, too.

 

[Azriel]

I do DL, and mix shavings, straw and shredded paper. I get the paper free from work, and the straw from the grain we grow, so only have to buy the shavings. I cleaned my coop last month, the first time in a year, I do add extra bedding when it starts to look a little bare. Everything in my coop was so well composted you couldn't tell it wasn't regular ground. I have roll out nests so don't use bedding in the nests.
When I first put the bedding in, I put the paper down 1st, then the shavings on top of that ( 1 bag in the 12x12 section) and then straw on top of all, the straw still has grain in it, so the girls mix it up well, and I toss a bit of scratch under the roosts every morning to mix the poop into the bedding where it drys and turns to dirt. I have never had any bad smell in the coop, and the bedding is always dry. The girls can free range all day, and I have a well bedded covered run that they have to go through to get into the coop, so they don't normally come in with wet feet. This past summer I dryed and bagged the grass from my lawn, the girls love that in their run.

 

[lauriemae15]

We use a deep layer of pine shavings on top of a removable piece of linoleum (for easy cleaning) on top of a wooden floor. Pine shavings just seem lighter and easier to clean out than straw, and less stinky! We do have straw in the nest boxes which have to be cleaned out much more often than the shavings under the roosts.