Good grief- I put 3 bales of straw in coop for warmth now I read that it is a no no

[Navahogirl]

So I have sand in my coop and then I put a layer of straw down because I was going to start the deep litter method now I'm beginning to change my mind and I'm thinking maybe I should put the poop boards back in because I have been reading about the dangers of straw. I also added three bales of straw into the coop around the perimeter on the inside. Please send me suggestions regarding winterizing the coop. Thank you. I do not have it insulated

 

[ChocolateMouse]

Chicken chick is VERY hit or miss, and in my experience usually miss. Bloggers aren't exactly experts, now matter how much they get product sponsorships. As a blog owner, if blogs are your primary source of information, I STRONGLY suggest broadening your information sources. PLEASE do not take bloggers as a reliable source of information. (And hey, you're looking for opinions here! That's good!)

Straw is fine. Yes it CAN harbor insects. So can any non heat-treated bedding or any bedding that comes in contact with animals that come in contact with wild animals. So if a bird flies into your pen, spreads lice to your chickens, and then your chickens go to the coop and you have ANY bedding it can harbor insects. Sand can harbor lice and fleas too, and dust mites just LOVE newspaper. Bugs are everywhere.

The idea that straw is pointless in the winter but magically hot in the summer is just... I can't even on that one.

My chickens have been on straw as their primary material with leaves and shredded paper and wood chips mixed in for like 5 years now. We've had one mite problem and it came from some discount chicks from TSC, not the straw. A $12 bottle of permethrin fixed it for 30+ birds. No more problems.

Your chickens will be totally fine.

 

[U_Stormcrow]

I'm in FL, and use... straw. Also, leaf litter.

and with all due respect to the quoted source, anyone who follows this paragraph arguing that straw's hollow core doesn't act as an insulator against cold:

with this Paragraph arguing that straw's hollow core heats the coup:

is either entirely ignorant of physics, or is deliberately obfuscating it in their choice of focus.

What material to use is largely depending on your method, your available materials, and the desired effort. I use a layer of straw in my raised coup, which the chickens dump on. Its not so heavy under its own weight that it mats down, I have good ventilation, so it doesn't retain excess moisture, and my girls digging around in it tend to push it "downstairs" into the duck house portion of my build, where it combines with the raked leaf litter I take from my surrounding woods to compost in a deep litter system.

The number of posts here from people having trouble with sand in their runs must number in the hundreds, if not the thousands. Accordingly, I would place little weight on the offered opinion and do more research - as you are doing - to better understand how your hen house works as a coherent and cohesive system.

 

[aart]

Wondering what the "dangers of straw " are.
Much depends on when and where you get it and how you use it.

Please send me suggestions regarding winterizing the coop.

Send us pics of your coop and run.

Where are you located?

Yes, please.
Where in this world are you located?
Climate, and time of year, is almost always a factor.
Please add your general geographical location to your profile.
It's easy to do, and then it's always there!

 

[NatJ]

To do that I have to pay for subscription

To list your location? No, you don't have to pay.
I do not have a paid subscription, but my location (USA) is listed right over there on the left side of my post, under my name and a few other things.

 

[aart]

https://the-chicken-chick.com/reasons-straw-does-not-belong-in/

Meh.....works fine for nest bedding here, and some gets tossed on the coop floor shavings and in the run on occasion. I wouldn't recommend it as floor or run bedding on it's own tho.

 

[3KillerBs]

Straw has been used as animal bedding for about as long as people have both grown grain and raised animals.

IMO, shavings are superior (and mixed materials better than any one material), but "dangers of straw" are undoubtedly exaggerated -- possibly by people with a vested interest in selling other animal bedding.

 

[B-Goock]

If I had some readily or cheaply available I would use it. I mainly use pine shavings in my coop.
The run gets used shavings, leaf litter from the woods, small twigs & cuttings. Its like anything you use has downfalls. Your good navagal

 

[JadeFarms]

I didn’t know it’s bad.. I use it all the time.

 

[Navahogirl]

Wondering what the "dangers of straw " are.
Much depends on when and where you get it and how you use it.

Send us pics of your coop and run.

Yes, please.
Where in this world are you located?
Climate, and time of year, is almost always a factor.
Please add your general geographical location to your profile.
It's easy to do, and then it's always there!
View attachment 2390884

Upstate New York