How many of you use hay for your coops?

[NYRIR]

Quote:
What type of flooring do you have? My coop is wooden floors.I did put a lip on the nest boxes but I should put one by the big door too...the wood chips tend to fall out every time you open the door

....then when it's rainy and wet out...the chips ground into the dirt and are impossible to clean up, so I have a few feet in front of my coop that has no grass now.

 

[Red&Yellow]

I use both hay (or straw) and pine chips/shavings. I perfer to first put the shavings in the nest boxes, then the hay or straw. I would like to start using more shavings soon...
Around here, from a farmer, hay and straw are the same price. Pine shavings are a little more expensive, but not by much. This past time buying bedding was the first time we got hay as well as straw, and I perfer it.

Also, this year's crop of straw was ridiculously slick. The chickens would come running into the clean coop and promptly slip on their bums!

It was funny, but I don't want it to be difficult for them to walk.

Hay does indeed seem to be good fodder and entertainment as well as bedding for them birds

 

[Pele]

Quote:
What type of flooring do you have? My coop is wooden floors.I did put a lip on the nest boxes but I should put one by the big door too...the wood chips tend to fall out every time you open the door

....then when it's rainy and wet out...the chips ground into the dirt and are impossible to clean up, so I have a few feet in front of my coop that has no grass now.

This is where my bad habit of being a type A about planning gets exposed. I actually put down wood flooring like normal, then decided that I wanted cleaning to be super easy, and put down some linoleum tiles after that. They're only 60 cents a square, so to amuse myself I put down marble patterned ones. The tile adds extra protection to the wood, and the sand adds extra easy cleaning/built in dustbathing. It took a day extra of work, but I'm pretty happy with how easy it is to maintenance.

Here's a pic:

 

[ky-chicken-farmer]

... NYRIR, this was a GREAT topic. It was interesting to see all the different litter that is used all over the country

 

[NYRIR]

ky-chicken-farmer Thanks

I'm actually surprised at all the responses...thought it would be a "silly" question but it goes to show....no question is a stupid question!

Pele....Omgoodness! If I told DH we needed to put linoleum in the coop (since I need new flooring in the house!) he'd flip

But good thinking...my coop is quite large ( 12x 7) so it would be quite a feat!

 

[NYRIR]

Red&Yellow :

I use both hay (or straw) and pine chips/shavings. I perfer to first put the shavings in the nest boxes, then the hay or straw. I would like to start using more shavings soon...
Around here, from a farmer, hay and straw are the same price. Pine shavings are a little more expensive, but not by much. This past time buying bedding was the first time we got hay as well as straw, and I perfer it.

Also, this year's crop of straw was ridiculously slick. The chickens would come running into the clean coop and promptly slip on their bums!

It was funny, but I don't want it to be difficult for them to walk.

Hay does indeed seem to be good fodder and entertainment as well as bedding for them birds

Too funny !

 

[Pele]

Quote:
Heehee, I knew it was a tad overkill at the time, but now that my life is easier on cleaning days, I don't regret it. Actually, there are stores that sell leftovers from construction projects. I'm certain they'd be able to sell you a sheet of linoleum, or even scraps for a really cheap price. It doesn't need to look pretty since it's under the sand, mine is just pretty because it was so cheap and it amused me at the time (Yes I do a lot of things for personal amusement

)

 

[NYRIR]

Quote:
Heehee, I knew it was a tad overkill at the time, but now that my life is easier on cleaning days, I don't regret it. Actually, there are stores that sell leftovers from construction projects. I'm certain they'd be able to sell you a sheet of linoleum, or even scraps for a really cheap price. It doesn't need to look pretty since it's under the sand, mine is just pretty because it was so cheap and it amused me at the time (Yes I do a lot of things for personal amusement

)

I have to say...we do too.. it's always overkill

Oh well...so I'll never make any money...what's new?

 

[Amarisus]

I only use shavings brooder. Hay or straw is much better for the coop in my opinion. There is a difference between hay and straw by the way. Hay is usually used as food for livestock as it is usually tall grass. Straw is cheaper and provides no real nutrients. That's why straw makes good bedding.

 

[Chickencoop1996]

I us it in my nest boxes only.