Hay vs straw?

[avodah]

I work at a flower shop and got a TON of that big drawing paper (kinda like blank newspaper) that I'm going to use for the first few weeks. Our flowers are wrapped in it when they get shipped in. Once they get older I'm going to move them to a room in our basement (we have a wet basement and there is a concrete cellar in it). I layed a tarp down and was just going to mulch, than move feeders and lamps in there. Since there older can I put straw in there?

 

[SJ]

This is my chick litter/bedding of choice. You can see it in use in my pics.

https://www.fleetfarm.com/detail/-premium-horse-bedding/0000000228850

 

[lazy gardener]

I'm with those who've cautioned against using this old material. As aart points out, any number of badies can be lurking in this old bedding - deadly molds, botulism spores just waiting for the right conditions to morph into a deadly toxin, rodent droppings infected with Hanta virus, not to mention fine dust that could seriously tax a chick's delicate respiratory system. And yours, too.

Spread the hay or whatever it is on bare soil and it will encourage moisture retention and help new grass to grow, retarding erosion. Or compost it. It will break down into soil in no time and will be a perfect acidic balance against the hot nitrogen of all the chicken poop you will be getting.

What she said. IMO, the only good use for very old hay is as mulch/in the compost pile.