@Mimi13
To confuse you even more about the straw vs. Pine shavings...
I primarily use the shavings. But sometimes in the winter I like to use both.
for the most part I do not like to put straw in any places that I am going to walk because it gets too slippery.
Like Patty I have vinyl in my duck palace floor, so generally shavings work well in there. In the winter they spend so much time in there that they flatten out those shavings to the point it looks like pressboard if I don't stir it every single day. Adding a little straw keeps it fluffed up a bit more where they can Nestle down in it to stay warm.
In the run when the ground is frozen I can't always stir the shavings out there. So I will use straw to throw down over wet poopy areas because I can just pick the straw up and throw it away and add clean straw as needed.
My Cayuga duck houses just have a wooden floor. I am kind of like hillbilly in the winter. It's easier for me to be able to remove a layer of straw and add another layer of clean versus having to scoop out all the shavings for a thorough cleaning. for those houses I like to put down a layer of pine shavings to absorb moisture before it hits the floor then use straw on the top. I don't like to have a lot of straw out on the ground because it does not break down and decompose like shavings do. But again in the winter months I will use it around the waterers on the ground just to cover up icy patches. I just scoop it up and remove it when it thaws out.
That's a bold statement from you! The weather was bad here too yesterday, but at your place it must have been hell on earth! Everybody all right? 
I love bees and honey! One of my uncles was a beekeeper and he taught me lot's of things about honey and bees, but that's over 40 years ago… The darker the honey the healthier he said.
