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I do not use Straw in my coop or run. When it gets wet it turns into a slimey mess. I use hay in the coop area and in the run and I have the most amazing mulch and fertilizer for the rest of my yard. It helps keep down on the food bill too because unlike straw the girls will actually eat the hay.
There is a quite a bit of grass seed in hay so when you use it out in your run as it builds up a bit and the moisture and heat builds up underneath it starts sprouting grass. About every couple of days I go out and rake it up into big piles which the girls absolutely love to dig in and then once it is raked up there is fresh grass sprouts for them to eat too and they go bonkers trying to be the first to get all of the fresh grass sprouts.
Raking it up every couple of days allows the air and sun to dry out the ground underneath the hay, (which gets rid of any smell, moisture is what causes the smell) the loose hay also helps dry up excess moisture and like I said you do not need to re-rake it to cover your run because the girls/guys do it for you. AND it also provides a warmth to the ground that worms cannot resist to be drawn to which also provides extra food for your girls. Every time I rake up I see quite a few worm doing the "Dive! Dive! Dive!" dance.
Also the chicken poop will stay on top of the hay which makes it easy to rake up into a bucket and then to distribute to your worm beds or anywhere else in your yard for fertilizer. So you get to keep the hay in your run and do not waste as much bedding.
I like the hay for the nests a lot better than straw because it is kind of like a mix btwn the fluffy dried grass and the thicker strawish grass. The girls do not get poked in the butt as much like with the straw or pine needles and they like to build the nest as they are sitting so they get to stay occupied while they are waiting to deliver. Plus with the hay, the fluff stays at the bottom and any poop is easy to rake out because it stays on top.
I am a huge hay fan, it is cheaper than shavings and has so many uses besides just bedding.
The worms are about to go into hibernation for the winter but if you all need worms for your chickens let me know because I have plenty and I sell them for a lot cheaper than what you can find on CL's. I started getting into the whole worm farming last summer and it is soooo much fun and then after I got my chickens they make a really awesome treat.
COOP UPDATE:
DH came home early yesterday because all of his meetings at work were over and we got the back wall up, the linoleum cut and glued down AND the primer painted on.
To finish it up we just have to do:
- The front wall
- Get the window, chicken door, main door built
- Get the fence and gate put up.
- Finish painting the outside
We still have to finish building the brooder area, the nests and roosts but we have temporary of all of these already so it isn't that big of a priority as getting main coop enclosed and the run area but we got a lot done yesterday in a few short hours of good weather. Hopefully the weather will hold up this weekend and we can finish the rest.
