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

[Wee Farmer Sarah]

The only problem with straw is that it’s not all that absorbent and can actually get a little slimy under wet conditions like I’ve been experiencing for the past week. I wrap my run in heavy duty clear shower curtains to block the wind. The run and the coop stay 10 to 30 degrees warmer than the outside temps. Just make sure there is adequate ventilation. For bedding I use the larger pine shavings from Tractor Supply. Much less dust with those. Straw bales are often used as wind blocks. Dust is a non issue.

 

[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.

 

[Wee Farmer Sarah]

I wanted to clarify: I wrap the run in the winter.

 

[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.

 

[Pullet Press]

I wanted to clarify: I wrap the run in the winter.

What do you wrap it with?

 

[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.

 

[Navahogirl]

Where are you located?

 

[Navahogirl]

Where are you located?

Upstate New York

 

[Navahogirl]

Upstate NY

 

[Vickischics]

Upstate NY

You do not have to pay for joining BYC. You can also edit your profile and add your location as this is VERY HELPFUL when you have issues.
Look at my profile. I'm pretty specific on telling you my location. You can list a generalized location. Since I'm in Florida, my weather issues can be different than yours. This is the reason Aart asked for your location.