Coop bedding revisted

[walkswithdog]

Well, there ya go. I hate straw. Used it these last few weeks for comparison. Ugh. Back to shavings for my horde except on the nests. Bleagh. It mats. It doesn't dry well. Won't mind a little in there in the deep litter but nope, not a major load of it in there any more. Shavings dry nicely. Wouldn't mind a deep bed of sand under there. Perhaps after spring cleaning. No more straw.

I guess I'm still the warped sort that has to try it before I decide yay or nay. Thought someone else might not want to HAVE TO MUCK out a serious load of damp matted poop straw.

If it was uber cheap or all I had I'd probably make it work but not when I've got a good alternative. That's cleaner and cheaper.

 

[birdsofparadise]

Hate hay. Pine shavings are nice. Have you tried ground corn cobs? Easy to shovel, absorbant, no smell, etc. I just tried some in my brooder and will put it in the coop if it works.

 

[Pumpkinpup]

Quote:
Corn cobs huh? Interesting, you'll have to let us know how that turns out

It's always nice to have options and hay or straw, for me, is NOT an option! I hate the stuff! Bleh!!!

 

[lurky]

I read this and was interested in trying corn cob until i read this. I know mold can be deadly to young birds and maybe bigger ones if they ate enough.



Corn Cob Bedding/Bed-o’ Cobs

Many laboratories use corn cob based bedding, as do many bird and reptile enthusiasts.
Ground corn cob is available at almost all pet shops, as well as Walmart and some grocery stores. It is simply dried corn cob which has been ground to various consistencies. It is very easily available, and very cheap. Though it is absorbent, corn cob does very little to control odor and tends to grow mold whenever it gets wet. This necessitates removing wet bedding daily. Also, corn cob is very coarse, and must be uncomfortable for our critters to stand on. (Think of it as standing on gravel in your bare feet all the time.)

 

[walkswithdog]

I used to volunteer at a zoo. They ruled out corn cob for the same reason, it grows mold quickly. If you can change it often in a small area, it's okay but not great.

Woods, even pine and other soft woods have a natural deterent to mold, though that deteriorates over time as shavings, it's still superior to corn. That's why professional kitchens still use wood cutting boards. Wood does naturally deter bacterial and mold growth to some extent.

Roughness isn't an issue in my head. Mine are free range but mold growth here in the south in particular is something I'm careful of.

 

[LynneP]

Peat moss is great too. I prefer it for my horse now (he's allergic to wood shavings), and use shaving for the birds. We get peat moss very reasonable because it's produced here...and if you plant in your manure pile like I do or if you want to cart it to a compost or garden, it enhances any types of soil...dark though, and shows up on the coop walls.

 

[Omran]

I know it sounds like I am crazy, but for me nothing worked better than plain normal dirt, it is kind of hard to convince you with my crazy Idea, but I seware it works so good, it takes longer to stink and you can rake it easy if you let thechicken do the hard work for you, simply by putting some scatch for them evry night before they go to roost and they scratch the hell out of the ground.

Plus it is free, I have enough dirt on my land and for 10x10 coop I need about 3 wheelbarols.


Omran.

 

[walkswithdog]

I don't think it's weird Omran. I can't add clay soil and that's all we have but I do add those broken bags of soil from Lowe's and sand. My coop is dirt bottomed and they enjoyed it so I tend to go with that. I keep fiddling with the mix. I do find it works. I would have incorporated more sand if I'd known how well it worked out.

That goes on all future lists of what I would have done differently. Sand for poultry pen bases.

So sand, shavings and soil. Hay and shavings for nesting areas.

When it's cold the turkeys burrow into their hay pile but the rest of the pen/coop is in soil and cedar.

 

[Rufflemyfeathers]

I tried the small corn cobs in my brooder almost looked like there chickie food anyway when they went poo the corn cob bedding stuck to there bums and plugged them up lets say I was washing chickie bums and now I have pine shavings in there brooder and clean bums..lol

Quote:

 

[Gardeninggranny]

Has anyone tried the pelleted wood horse bedding in their coop? You put it down then actually sprinkle it with water and it turns into a very absorbent coarse sawdust like material. It's wonderful for horses, I love it because you can just take the manure out like shifting a cat box. I have yet to put it in the chicken coop although a friend did and she says it works great. It really keeps smell down too. It comes in 40 pound bags and is available at farm stores.