Give me your best!

[WildNectarine]

Wet bedding of any kind is not good for birds, that's not unique to wood chips

Yes, but wet wood, other natural fibers, and wet soil can grow much more bacteria compared to wet sand.

 

[FrostRanger]

Yes, but wet wood, other natural fibers, and wet soil can grow much more bacteria compared to wet sand.

Sand can stay wetter for longer which can be problematic in some climates (such as here where we get frequent - often daily - afternoon storms). This can be especially bad if coccidiosis is a major issue in the area

 

[WildNectarine]

Sand can stay wetter for longer which can be problematic in some climates (such as here where we get frequent - often daily - afternoon storms). This can be especially bad if coccidiosis is a major issue in the area

I was assuming this would be taking place inside the coop and a covered run, since most don’t care about “bedding” if they’re doing anything else, but that’s on me.

 

[Jenny Sampson]

I was assuming this would be taking place inside the coop and a covered run, since most don’t care about “bedding” if they’re doing anything else, but that’s on me.

You're right. Coop and covered run

 

[rosemarythyme]

Best layer feed is whatever suits your dietary preferences (if any, i.e. organic) and is fresh and readily available in your area.

"Best" bedding really depends on your climate, your coop set up, your coop maintenance routine, size of flock vs size of coop, etc. My choice of coop bedding is wood chips (free) and hemp under the roost, for sifting out poop for compost, as I want to minimize full cleanouts as much as possible (my least favorite task!) The chips all get raked into the run after a year to compost in the run.