hay use in coop

[only one lay]

Tried search-saw it here somewhere that hay was not a good option in the coop.Used straw in fall and winter but spring cleaning is occuring. I have three bales of hay found in the road in the night(got out to move out of rd.) Is it a bad idea to use it for flooring area or no big deal? Thanks

 

[Chicken Fruit]

Chickens left to their own devices will live happy healthy long lives in some of the most disgusting and potentially harmful arrangements imaginable.

I dont think hay should be a concern. My chicks are nesting in hay and doing just fine. Its warm- and right now in upstate NY thats all that counts.

 

[sundance]

I buy bales of hay for my coop. I use it for both the floor and the nests. Couple time ago when i cleaned the hay out(it goes on my garden) I noticed it was getting hard to use a pitchfork with all the chicken poop under the roosts so I put a piece of tin under the roost and covered it deep in hay, now I just pull the tin covered with hay and poop and Put it on my roller and pull to garden, rake the rest out out the run, add new hay and de and good for another month. marrie

 

[ChickenToes]

I use hay when I run out of shavings. It works just fine. If you're having a lot of wet weather in your area, keep an eye on it to make sure the hay doesn't get really wet. It starts to stink fast.

 

[Judy]

Yup. It's what I use. Go for it. You are right, some do object, but I've never read anything to convince me to change. It's really the only thing available locally, anyway.

 

[Chicken03]

I use hay on the floor of my coop. It seems to work pretty good. I could probobly find something more absorbent but the hay works good enough.

 

[patandchickens]

The only concern is if your birds try to eat long-stranded tough hay -- a number of people here have reported impacted crop problems from that. OTOH a lot of people use hay with no problems. If they're used to straw, and not overly bored or hungry, I'd think it was a reasonable bet to be ok with it, just be aware of the impaction issue.

Good luck,

Pat

 

[estpr13]

I've been told that hay by it self wasn't all that great. I personally don't know. I use a deep litter method, and use a little bit of a lot of different things including alfalfa hay, straw, pine chips, long green grass, DE, Collard green leaves, and other vegetable detritus. After about six months it looks like a lot of fine dry dirt with bits and pieces of each medium.
I would use the hay in combination with other mediums such as the pine chips. Actually, I start with pine chips and then add to them. As long as they can scratch it up and do their dust bathing they will be okay.

I had a young chick die from gettin a long strand stuck in its throat. and had another choking on a clover stem (only a few days old at the time I took them outside). So I guess long hard things could possibly be a hazard.

 

[b.hromada]

I also use hay in my coop. Its much softer than straw, and even pine shavings. I don't like it when it gets wet, but wouldn't like any bedding when it gets wet either. My daughter and I take out the old hay, maybe twice a week, and it works just fine.

 

[Kim_NC]

I use grass hay. The chickens actually enjoy it. They scratch all through it for seed heads, dried weeds, grass blades. I put shavings around the waterers and at the outside doorways to keep things drier. Also use shavings in the nest boxes.