Industrial hemp bedding?

[Kristencardany]

Hey just wondering what everyone uses for bedding in the coop and if anyone uses industrial hemp and how they like it and if it really helps eliminate smell? Thanks!

 

[DobieLover]

Hey just wondering what everyone uses for bedding in the coop and if anyone uses industrial hemp and how they like it and if it really helps eliminate smell? Thanks!

I just bedding my coop down with 3 bags of it and I LOVE IT!
Much less dusty than pine shavings.
I only change the bedding in my coop annually though. I use poop boards under the roost and scoop them out each morning.

 

[adirondak5]

I put it in my coop back in December , I like it , a lot . I do use poop boards so very little waste gets into the Hemp bedding but what does dries out fast , I've got it about 4" thick on the coop floor . There is no odor in my coop other than a hay odor . Less dust than shavings too . I figure to change out once a year if needed . The only drawback I see is price but as more gets grown here in the USA the price should come down .

 

[DobieLover]

The only drawback I see is price but as more gets grown here in the USA the price should come down .

Now that's the thing that just kicks my butt. We have three, THREE industrial hemp processing plants right here in the Southern Tier. Do any of the local retailers of pet supplies offer hemp bedding? Nope. Not one.
I've tried to find contact numbers for the plants to go straight to the horses mouth, so to speak, with little luck. I had my latest batch of hemp bedding shipped up from VA which nearly doubled the cost. But because I only bed down annually, it was worth it.

 

[adirondak5]

Now that's the thing that just kicks my butt. We have three, THREE industrial hemp processing plants right here in the Southern Tier. Do any of the local retailers of pet supplies offer hemp bedding? Nope. Not one.
I've tried to find contact numbers for the plants to go straight to the horses mouth, so to speak, with little luck. I had my latest batch of hemp bedding shipped up from VA which nearly doubled the cost. But because I only bed down annually, it was worth it.

I had mine shipped from Virginia also , probably the same place you got yours from. Yes , shipping almost doubled the price but to me its still worth it . I think it will go well over a year before I will need to change it out but even if I change out yearly I'm still going to use the Hemp .

 

[DobieLover]

I'm still going to use the Hemp

Me too.
I'll let you know if any of the plants near me are making it as a by-product of the processing. It's got to be a lot less expensive to get locally and the Southern Tier isn't too far from you.

 

[adirondak5]

Me too.
I'll let you know if any of the plants near me are making it as a by-product of the processing. It's got to be a lot less expensive to get locally and the Southern Tier isn't too far from you.

That would be great , thank you . I travel up around the Southern Tier quite often , or at least I use to before the Pandemic .

 

[Paintingsummerpurple]

Anyone in Ontario Canada that has a source for hemp bedding for my coop?

 

[Grace Brooks]

Has anyone used it in the run? We have hemp bedding in the coop right now and love it so far (4 weeks in/4 week old chicks have been on hemp being since we got them). There is no odor, no low dust, a little goes a long way, it stays dry, my only complaint is that the chicks eat it a little. We are considering using it in the run, but concerned it might mat up with the dirt and create an anaerobic env. Also thinking because the pieces are very small, that the chicks would kick it out of the mesh covered run and it would get everywhere in our rock/gravel rich backyard. Would love to know others experience with hemp in run, thinking about putting a later if it under walk on wood mulch.

 

[middle TN Nancy]

I use hemp only in my coop, but in my covered run I use everything I can get my hands on - some hemp, shredded leaves, shredded paper, pine needles, a little straw, wood chips from where I had a tree cut down, dried grass clippings, some garden waste like kale that caterpillars destroyed. So far it’s going well both in the coop and the run.