Hemp bedding-- cheaper options than My Favorite Chicken brand that are still good

[SnackMeat]

So I like the chickenlandia podcast and YouTube channel and the host does say, get what you can afford. However she has said her favorite brand (supposedly used before they started sponsoring her) is My Favorite Chicken and that it can be used for 2x as long as pine shavings before having to be changed. Not to mention deep litter method.


I am looking in to the details of doing deep litter method for winter time, and if I truly won't have to change it for most if not all of winter time so long as I keep an eye on it and maybe occasionally agitate the layers with a rake, I can pony up the money for MFC brand.

But I was looking at the other options on Chewy and wanted to ask if anyone has any cheaper recommendations. The Chickenlandia lady said she had used a cheaper version on Amazon and wasn't so keen on the quality, so it does seem like (questioning the sponsored spokesperson aside) there can be not great hemp bedding, even if not compared to MFC brand.


For those who have used hemp (especially if comparing pine shavings from the feed store) bedding:

1. did the brand matter much?

2. Do you do deep litter method?

3. How long between full muck-out and replacement?

4. Did you wind up going back to pine, or mixing pine in to bring the total cost down?

 

[Susan Skylark]

I’ve tried sand, pine shavings, hemp, and horse bedding pellets for my quail. Hemp and pine shavings have about equal absorbency, horse bedding pellets are twice that, sand is not absorbent at all. I’m officially in love with horse bedding pellets for deep litter, I still keep a bag of pine shavings around for the brooder, chick sales, the fair…. The hemp was fine but it is way more expensive than pine shavings without any obvious major benefits so I don’t use it.

 

[alinas2010]

1. I use hemp bedding and won’t go back to anything else. But I’m very limited by brand bc there is only one available locally and I don’t want to order bc they’re so expensive online. The one i use is cheap. It is called hemtana. I would like to know what others use, also. https://www.murdochs.com/products/p...vestock-bedding/hemptana-hemp-animal-bedding/

2. I don’t do deep litter

3. I only replace once at the end of spring usually. Had to replace this summer, too, bc of mites, though. Otherwise I wouldn’t.

4. Hemptana is only like $18 and two are plenty for our 8x8 coop. I’ll buy a 3rd bag in the middle of winter if it is really cold.