Hay/straw vs sand??? Sorry longer post than intended!

Speakeasychicks

In the Brooder
Jun 1, 2020
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Hey everyone!

I'm new to this chicken thing, I got my first 6 chicks in March after the pandemic started and I couldn't find eggs at any stores for 3 days! My husband was not happy about our new pets, but my 4 kids were so excited he let me carry on. I walked in to tractor supply spouted off some breeds a friend told me were kid friendly and asked for everything I needed for baby chicks. Too bad I didn't know what straight run meant🤦🏼‍♀️ I bought 3 silkies, 1 cochin, and a polish top hat. A friend also gave me a blue silkie....fast forward and I ended up with 4 roosters which I can't have in the city.
I was hooked, started reading articles and books on chickens, researching breads, and reading everyone's chicken stories!
Being down to 2 silkie hens I decided I wanted more since I realized my girls Honey and Cha cha were only going to lay a small amount of small eggs. Not enough for my family of 6! I started calling everywhere to find certain breeds, I wanted a mixed flock, I even split an order from a hatchery with a friend. Fast forward...I now have 17 😆 I'm addicted! 13 babies are in my house!!! My sons bedroom smells great😬
Blue andalusians, cochins, light brahma, mottled houdans, barred rock, easter egger, salmon favolle, blue laced red wyandotte, and an ameraucana, that I'm assuming is actually an easter egger 🤷🏼‍♀️ I'm only keeping 12, I'm brooding 5 for a friend!

I bought a coup from wayfair with 2 nesting boxes, I added a 12 by 5 foot run and then created 6 more boxes in it. After reading about straw vs sand I decided sand for the run would be best for clean up , I attempted to put it in the boxes as well, my girls keep kicking it out I decided to just keep putting the straw and hay in the boxes and coup, but it gets mixed in with the sand and I use their poop in my compost. Every article says straw causes so many problems, but yet I feel majority of pictures I see have straw in boxes and areas of the coup. I'm curious to see other people's set ups and what you all prefer in your coup vs run. If i didn't put straw in the boxes what else would I use?
 

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I personally use pine shavings in the coop, and a mix of dirt/mulch/shavings/sand in the run. Pine shavings don't cause any problems that I know of. I know that sand often holds odors even after you clean the poop out. I only have it mixed in my run to keep it nice and dry. The only problem that I know straw causes is that it can cause bumblefoot as it is a bit pokey on the end.
 
Oh, really? Are these ones good? They are very large flakes and I haven't noticed any dust.
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I didn't know that these could be bad for them!

Pine shavings are not bad for chickens (cedar is different -- the same oils that deter bugs irritate lungs).

Straw is just as dusty and *can* offer a refuge for mites, etc.

The best security against dust isn't the choice of a particular bedding but excellent ventilation in the coop. :)
 
The only problem that I know straw causes is that it can cause bumblefoot as it is a bit pokey on the end.
Not really true. Pine shavings can be just as sharp, probably more so.
Foot wounds can be caused by many things and become infected to create the condition called bumblefoot.


I bought a coup from wayfair with 2 nesting boxes, I added a 12 by 5 foot run and then created 6 more boxes in it. After reading about straw vs sand I decided sand for the run would be best for clean up , I attempted to put it in the boxes as well, my girls keep kicking it out I decided to just keep putting the straw and hay in the boxes and coup, but it gets mixed in with the sand and I use their poop in my compost. Every article says straw causes so many problems, but yet I feel majority of pictures I see have straw in boxes and areas of the coup. I'm curious to see other people's set ups and what you all prefer in your coup vs run. If i didn't put straw in the boxes what else would I use?
Your run space is small for even 12 birds...guessing the coop is too, tho I can't really see the coop well in the pic, guessing it's one of those tiny prefab coops that are almost always too small.

What kind of bedding you use may depend on how you manage the manure.
This is about cleaning, but covers my big picture
-I use poop boards under roosts with thin(<1/2") layer of sand/PDZ mix, sifted daily(takes 5-10mins) into bucket going to friends compost.
-Scrape big or wet poops off roost and ramps as needed.
-Pine shavings on coop floor, add some occasionally, totally changed out once or twice a year, old shavings added to run.
- My runs have semi-deep litter(cold composting), never clean anything out, just add smaller dry materials on occasion, add larger wood chippings as needed.
Aged ramial wood chippings are best IMO.
-Nests are bedded with straw, add some occasionally, change out if needed(broken egg).
There is no odor, unless a fresh cecal has been dropped and when I open the bucket to add more poop.
That's how I keep it 'clean', have not found any reason to clean 'deeper' in 7 years.
 
I personally use pine shavings in the coop, and a mix of dirt/mulch/shavings/sand in the run. Pine shavings don't cause any problems that I know of. I know that sand often holds odors even after you clean the poop out. I only have it mixed in my run to keep it nice and dry. The only problem that I know straw causes is that it can cause bumblefoot as it is a bit pokey on the end.
That is good to know about bumble foot! I still have pine in the brooding boxes I might try it in a box and see if my girls like it! Thank you!
 

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