Peat Moss for coop bedding?

[mamabigbird]

I have been using compressed pine shavings for a few years but the stuff just doesn't break down where I dump it,
And the hens dig through it and scatter it all over the property.
My BIL bought a whole lot of bales of peat moss and isn't going to use them all so has half a dozen bales left.
He was using it to soften the floor of a horse stall when one of his horses had a hoof injury. The horse was confined for several weeks in her stall and my BIL says it was so absorbent for her pee that he wondered how it would work for the coop,
It should break down faster than wood chips too.
Anyone ever use this? It's about the same price as wood shavings.
Any input would be nice. I would still use shavings in their nest boxes.

 

[dominiques]

The thing about peat moss is that it is not sustainable. It is not harvested in a sustainable way. It takes many, many, many years to form in bogs. Peat moss should not be used for anything. Well, horse on sore foot might be one special reason to use it.

 

[mamabigbird]

Hmmmm. That's very interesting. I do prefer to make "green" choices if possible so maybe I'll just use up what we already have and then go back to wood chips. Thanks for the input.

 

[D3invertebrates]

Its been a few years so I forget exactly but there are some issues with bacteria in peat moss. People that handle it in large quantities have to wear gloves, so maybe its not the best thing. Also mites can be an issue with peat moss.

 

[mamabigbird]

I wonder why peat moss would be any worse for mites than wood chips?
Also my hens free range all day and wander through every imaginable substance from dirt, weeds, compost piles and god knows what else.
They have gotten mites in their coop once but sevin dust took care of it.
Anyway, I plan to only use because we have some that isn't getting used and then back to their regular bedding.
I just wish there was a cheap bedding product that would break down quicker.

 

[Erin~TheChickenLover]

Mites wouldn't be my biggest concern with peat moss. The spores that peat moss is made of would be my concern. Ammonia+Spores (can)= deadly ammonia spore bombs. Chickens have really sensitive respiratory tracts, so that could be a big problem.

 

[D3invertebrates]

Well the wood chips generally used are something like pine or cedar so they have natural insecticidal proclivities. Mites have to have some source of moisture or they could become dessicated within minutes so moss would not be a bad spot for them to hide in-between snacking on your animals. I know that mites have been an issue for me in terrariums because the moist environment the moss likes is the same the mites thrive in. I still used it but I had to remove it if mites became a problem(which wasnt often).

 

[dominiques]

Is there another way to get rid of mites besides Sevin?

 

[D3invertebrates]

Keep the area dry and clean for awhile and a mite problem will go away, the only reason to ever use pesticides is ignorance.

 

[Erin~TheChickenLover]

Keep the area dry and clean for awhile and a mite problem will go away, the only reason to ever use pesticides is ignorance.

?? When my chickens get mites in the summer, no amount of keeping the area dry and clean is going to get rid of the mites. If the birds are there, the mites are still going to be there. I've dealt with mites in the summer for years. I use Permethrin 10 to spray the pens and coops and Manna Pro's Poultry Protector to spray the chickens. That's not out of ignorance, it is what works to fix a problem.