Good Coop Bedding Aside from Wood Shavings

[horsewishr]

I think hay would actually be a lot more expensive than shavings. A lot of the country has had drought conditions all summer. Horse owner are HURTING because of the price of hay.

A $5.00 bag of shavings last me 6 months in my coop. It's MUCH, MUCH, MUCH easier to scoop chicken poop out of shavings than hay. If you do a minute of cleaning every day, the shavings last FOREVER.

 

[Poison Ivy]

Quote:
I have a thing about it being clean. I even get the leaf blower and blow the cobwebs out! lol

A bale of coastal hay cost me $6 and I only use 2 flakes at a time in the coop. So it lasts me most of the year.

 

[bantymum]

Yes Poison, you have a beautiful clean coop, I bet your house and car are just as clean.~!!!

 

[JudyMcKinn]

Be kinda careful of hay. I also got a hen with impacted crop, and I lost her. I didn't know what was the problem, but she had a huge, hard crop. I tried some of the suggestions to help it pass on thru, with no luck, and she died in spite of what I could do. After she died, I cut her crop open, to see what was in it--it felt like pellets, or somethng similiar. But it was full of hay. I don't use hay for bedding, but I had tossed a bale into the corner of my large chicken yard, since it was bare, and let them scratch in it, and pick out any seeds, etc, that were in it. They love to do that, but apparently this one hen ate a bunch of the hay. Could be an unusual happening, but thought I would mention it.
I use wood chips in my chicken house (12 ft square house), and add chips as needed. Seems to absorb the poo, and keep things dry. I clean out about twice a year, in spring and fall.

 

[Poison Ivy]

It's funny my horse even turns her nose up at coastal hay. She gives me that look like you want me to eat this stuff! lol Now the girls do like alfalfa but I only give them a little of the leafy parts no stems. maybe a couple times a year.

 

[lyndatu]

What are wood chips?

And yes, Ivy, that's a very clean coop! What's your secret?

 

[1acrefarm]

Quote:
When firewood companies or tree service companies clean up the limbs they put them into a chipper. The chipper pulverizes those limbs into small pieces or chips to save landfill space. Many cities collect limbs from the curb and chip them as well. Landfilling those chips cost money so they are free for the taking in many areas. Some people call them wood mulch.

 

[greginshasta]

I think I have pretty easy access to wood chips since we have a friend who owns a tree service. I've never asked for the chips but suspect it would be easy to get a lot.

As opposed to pine shavings or straw which cost $, is wood chips just as good a choice for an indoor coop or for their run?

 

[greginshasta]

What about rice hulls? South of here are thousands of acres of rice fields, and the hulls are available. Is this suitable material?

 

[lyndatu]

Can garden litter do well?

Stuff like fallen leaves? Or grass? We have a lawn mower and we have lots of grass. Can I? Thanks in advance!