experiment with bedding

[Savuti]

Hi Nancy ........ Today I was finally ready to try my bedding experiment and after opening the bag of Lucerne Gold and attempting to spread it around ..... I starting feeling like I made a mistake. This did not feel or look at all what yours did!! I think I bought the wrong stuff!! I asked the lady at Agway for Lucerne Farms Hi Fiber Gold ..... which is exactly what she gave me but this stuff is sticky? And packs down! Where did I go wrong? I went back to your first posting and opened the link that you provided and did notice that the color of the bag is different ........ here is what I got? Will this harm my girls?

Hello, it appears to say blended with cane molasses on the bag, which probably causes the stickiness

By the way, thanks for this awesome thread I've really been trying to decide what bedding would work best for my situation and this may be it, *if* I can get it where I am. Glad it's working so well for people.

 

[coolcanoechic]

Hello, it appears to say blended with cane molasses on the bag, which probably causes the stickiness

By the way, thanks for this awesome thread I've really been trying to decide what bedding would work best for my situation and this may be it, *if* I can get it where I am. Glad it's working so well for people.

It has molasses and that is why it is sticky. I don't think it would harm the girls. They don't eat it, they just poop on it. I'm not sure how it would work though. The High Fiber Gold has no molasses and is not sticky.
Give it a try anyway since you bought it. See how it works. You can be pretty sure it won't be dusty!

 

[coolcanoechic]

Gloria,
I can pick up a couple of bags of the GOLD for you if you like so you can try it. I get it at Log Home Hardware at 111 Stage Road, Route 152, in Nottingham.

 

[coolcanoechic]

Ok, It has been over a month on the same bag of bedding. It still smells like hay...not poopy smelling at all. Still just a light amount of dust in there.
Here are the pics of what it looks like. Like I said, I go in there every couple of days or so with one of those kiddy sized rakes and just turn it over and smooth it out.
After a month of this, I am convinced it is worth the price for a bag of this in my coop. It is the easiest thing I have come across in my chicken adventures when it comes to keeping things dry and smelling good. I'm sure my girls are appreciating it as much as I am.
I expect a lot more time out of this bag.
Shall I keep posting as time goes by?

 

[chichichickapea]

I have a dumb question, I cleaned out my coop Saturday (I use the deep litter method) and had been experimenting with a mixture of pine shavings and a forage blend of hay from TSC that I read about here, I already had the pine shavings in then tried the forage blend on top of that. When I cleaned the coop out, I found little tiny white worms around the feeding stations only.....I have been examining poop since and have not found any in poop....does this mean my chickens have worms???? It has been very, very hot here...lots of flies....is it from the flies being around the coop??? I have up lots of fly tape, etc. I am new to chickens, since May..........................

 

[deek]

Ok, It has been over a month on the same bag of bedding. It still smells like hay...not poopy smelling at all. Still just a light amount of dust in there.
Here are the pics of what it looks like. Like I said, I go in there every couple of days or so with one of those kiddy sized rakes and just turn it over and smooth it out.
After a month of this, I am convinced it is worth the price for a bag of this in my coop. It is the easiest thing I have come across in my chicken adventures when it comes to keeping things dry and smelling good. I'm sure my girls are appreciating it as much as I am.
I expect a lot more time out of this bag.
Shall I keep posting as time goes by?

Good Morning coolcanoechic, I think it would be very beneficial if you did continue to post updates...at least until you think it's time to change the bedding out. That way those that stumble upon the thread can get an overall idea.

I still can't believe how nice everything still is in there. I know I appreciate the post.

Have a great day!

Dee

 

[coolcanoechic]

I have a dumb question, I cleaned out my coop Saturday (I use the deep litter method) and had been experimenting with a mixture of pine shavings and a forage blend of hay from TSC that I read about here, I already had the pine shavings in then tried the forage blend on top of that. When I cleaned the coop out, I found little tiny white worms around the feeding stations only.....I have been examining poop since and have not found any in poop....does this mean my chickens have worms???? It has been very, very hot here...lots of flies....is it from the flies being around the coop??? I have up lots of fly tape, etc. I am new to chickens, since May..........................

Hi chichichickapea,
It sounds like it might be maggots from the flies.
I would give the coop an extra good cleaning and put some fans in there to dry and air things out. Is the floor dry? Sprinkle some DE all around the floor before putting a nice deep layer of dry bedding on top. This should help resolve your fly issue. I would also suggest you check your bags of feed for worms. Do you store it in plastic containers that seal tightly?

 

[coolcanoechic]

Good Morning coolcanoechic, I think it would be very beneficial if you did continue to post updates...at least until you think it's time to change the bedding out. That way those that stumble upon the thread can get an overall idea.

I still can't believe how nice everything still is in there. I know I appreciate the post.

Have a great day!

Dee

Hi Dee,
Thanks. I'll be happy to keep posting.
You have a lot more poopers than I do. Does your coop smell yet? Is it staying dry?

 

[deek]

Hi Dee,
Thanks. I'll be happy to keep posting.
You have a lot more poopers than I do. Does your coop smell yet? Is it staying dry?

Still smells nice and it is dry. I do have a fan, on each side of the rafters, on 24/7, and I do add DE once a week under the bedding. We've had several thunderstorms, intense heat wave, you name it. Bedding is dry.

 

[coolcanoechic]

Well then,
I think we found a solution to your damp bedding issues!

I'm so glad it is better for you!