Pine or hay?

[hugz4all4]

For coop bedding?
Ive been using hay, but see in many pics pine. If pine is better can I use the wood shavings from an Amish saw mill that we have living right up the road? They are free for the taking, you bring a bucket/truck etc.
Thanks

 

[yyz0yyz0]

alot depends on how you may be using this bedding.

I have poop boards and deep pine shavings in my coop for 8 birds. because of this the bedding has remained dry, fluffy and odor free for over a year on the same chips. If I had used hay, it would be broken down into dust by now. To be honest this is my first coop and I'm shocked at how long the pine shavings have remained usable in the coop. I had expected to need to clean them out every couple months.

As far as the free shavings, as long as you know what kind of wood they are from I don't see an issue. But I don't know if anything is done to the chips we buy commercially, such as heat treating or anything like that. If they are mixed wood types that might change the issue but I also don't know for sure.

 

[Percheron chick]

You can use anything. Hay, straw, shavings, dried grass clippings, leaves... You just want something cheap and compostable that will provide insulation from the ground and absorb moisture. Free is best. They smell good too.

 

[Irishhenman]

Hay shouldn't be used with chickens. It goes mouldy too quickly with all the moisture in the house, it carries spores that can give chickens all sorts of diseases, it is too dusty and there is a risk that hens will eat it and get an impacted crop or gizzard. Use wood shavings. The stuff from the saw mill will be fine

 

[hugz4all4]

Hay shouldn't be used with chickens. It goes mouldy too quickly with all the moisture in the house, it carries spores that can give chickens all sorts of diseases, it is too dusty and there is a risk that hens will eat it and get an impacted crop or gizzard. Use wood shavings. The stuff from the saw mill will be fine

Ive been using hay for a few weeks now so far I havent had any problems thank goodness. I change my coop frequently though and I make sure both sides of the coop are open when I lay the hay down causing less dust, but I def can see how it can cause issues.
I will be switching over to the shavings asap.
Thanks.