Leaf bedding, any concern of bird flu?

[AnitaBheer]

I'm still building the coop and run before chickens arrive and trying to decide on bedding for the run. I'll likely use pine shavings or hemp for in the coop with poop boards. But the run will be 16x20 and is sand based (dry sand pine plains of northern MI here) with a thick layer of pine needles at the moment. I have copious amounts of oak leaves and pine needles in the yard I could use for litter in the run. I want to put something down because the sand will smell after a bit (neighbors have chickens on bare dirt, so I know the outcome).

But I'm concerned about bird flu and other diseases. Will leaf litter make my chickens sick? Or would you not be concerned? It's mainly song birds here, I have never seen waterfowl and the nearest river is 2 miles away. We don't feed wild birds either. Run is enclosed but not 100% weather proof.

Thanks

 

[Debbie292d]

Many use leaves, then can rake them out and add to compost. @Tookie is one I know that could comment about them.

 

[Tookie]

They're completely safe to use and I wouldn't worry about diseases. Like @Debbie292d said, many people use leaves, and they don't have any problems.
So go crazy with it! Your chickens will LOVE to scratch around in them, and it will help breakdown all the poop.
Overtime you'll have to add more leaves as they break down. You can use the broken down leaves in your garden.

 

[rosemarythyme]

Is it possible that the leaves could be contaminated? Sure. But that could be true of a bale of straw from a feed store, or wood chips brought in from another property, etc. I'd trust materials sourced from my property more since I at least know what's in the mix and how it was stored before use.

 

[AnitaBheer]

Is it possible that the leaves could be contaminated? Sure. But that could be true of a bale of straw from a feed store, or wood chips brought in from another property, etc. I'd trust materials sourced from my property more since I at least know what's in the mix and how it was stored before use.

That's true, and I could always not use the very top layer of a leaf pile to be a little more safe.

 

[BonnieBlue]

I use sand in my run and do not have a problem with odor, unless it gets wet in a really heavy rain from runoff from my neighbor's yard. Then it smells more like wet sand, not poop. (It is a covered run so it does not get wet with every rain.

I do two things. One, I have a fan in one corner for air circulation because two sides of the run are solid walls. The new one will be much more open, but I will put the fan in the corner to help with circulation even tho the new one will be more open, tho still covered.

The other requires a bit of labor, but it really isn't time consuming if it is done daily as habit. That is picking up excess poop. Every evening, I walk around the run and get what poop I can easily see. I use a kitty litter scoop, and can be done in <5 minutes. The new run will be bigger with more hens, but I don't see more than 10 minutes, because it is done daily. What bit is left breaks down and I do not get smells. The key is daily.

My neighbor comes over to see the girls and has commented on how my coop and run do not smell like chickens. The only time I had a fly problem, the flies were not in the run, but just outside it. I never did figure out why. I used animal safe barn spray and sprayed it around outside the run, and after a week of spraying daily, never had a problem again.

The girls are almost 2 years old, and to have neighbors commenting that they never smell them (and their garden is right on the other side of the fence from my run) tells me I am on the right track.

 

[Grateful Dad]

I used coastal hay. When i clean the coop i spread it in the yard and let the rain wash it, then after its dry i rake it up and reuse it.Makes the gras grow nice too. Also garden lime the powdered kind keeps the smells down when its wet out.

 

[RoyalChick]

Mine love leaves. There are always things crawling around in the pile and hours of entertainment can be had seeking them out and snacking.