How many of you use hay for your coops?

[MareeZoCool]

Hello We use hay.Actually, bales of straw. Our price is $5.oo per bale. My coop is only 4'x4' So a bale last a month with daily spot cleaning, and a weekly scrubbing.
The straw gives them (chickens) nice warm bedding. AND straw smell so fresh & clean.

 

[Mr_Jeff]

Hay is fodder, straw is bedding. Why pay a premium for something they are going to poop on?

 

[16chickadees]

I use it with a little bit of bedding(like for ferets or hamsters) out in there coop.

 

[Country Parson]

I am curious as to why so many seem to be using hay instead of straw. Seems a waste of good feed, not to mention money. Isn't straw usually cheaper?

 

[jennh]

I use hay because the girls scratch around in it to eat the seeds. Therefore I can justify it's cost. At least to me. They are getting bedding that they can eat!

What's so bad about that? JMHO

 

[ky-chicken-farmer]

I have used hay and straw both over the years and havent had any problems. Its important to use clean hay. Some hay can be moldy. We bale hay for ourselves and others in the area, so i always have good CLEAN hay to use. Our coop has good ventilation and ive never had problems with mold or moisture.

 

[ky-chicken-farmer]

Quote:
Straw is usually 1.50-2.50 higher than hay. It is cleaner than alot of hay.

 

[Mr_Jeff]

Quote:
Straw is usually 1.50-2.50 higher than hay. It is cleaner than alot of hay.

Why would straw-an agricultural byproduct- be 1.50-2.50 higher than a bale of hay, which is grown and harvested specifically as fodder? We do hay every year, I have never seen anyone charging twice as much for a bale of straw as a bale of hay. I have never paid more than $2.00 for a bale of straw, hay might go for 3 or 4.

 

[carrlr]

I personally wouldn't use Hay because if it can mold, I don't want it around. I've used Straw before, but it required more maintenance. I currently use the deep litter method with Pine Shavings and DE sprinkled on it. I only have to do a full cleaning twice a year. Once in the spring and once in the fall. In between I just add more pine shavings and more DE. Stays nice and dry and practically odor free. I'll not go back to straw.

 

[Merryment]

Well, let me preface this by saying we live in town. I find that wood chips work best for us. They keep the coop drier, and there aren't seeds like you get with hay & esp. straw to draw in rats & mice. Since the coops are closer to the house, I really don't like tempting vermin. That alone justifies me paying a bit more. Pine shavings & putting food up has helped us a lot. That being said, we do use straw in the roost when it's very cold in the winter, but not in the run.

I did have a hen that like to eat hay when we used it. She got an impacted crop