Pine Shavings vs Straw

[gritsar]

I have a unique way of recycling the hay when I clean the nestboxes. I toss it out the door of the coop and the cows come eat it. Course they also eat the pine shavings off the floor of the coop if given half a chance. They have a definite preference for soiled pine shavings.

 

[ky-chicken-farmer]

i use the deep litter method with wheat straw and clean the coop once in the fall and once in the spring. we bale our own hay and straw so i could use either but i prefer the straw. my coop has a floor and the litter stays dry and has never gotten MESSY. i have found that the straw composts faster than pine shavings.

 

[mandelyn]

If you're not doing the deep litter method you don't want to use straw. For winter when it gets real cold, you need to keep the moisture/humidity down to avoid frostbite (caused more by damp cold than dry cold). Straw gets icky, and doesn't absorb much at all. It doesn't stir as easily, just kind of lays there. To me, it's just a pain to work with and not cost effective in my area either. Plus there isn't any fresh pine scent when you lay down fresh straw.

Some of the hays are different, not as stiff, a little more absorbent. But they're more apt to mold when not frequently stirred and mixed with fresh.

I didn't change anything last winter for bedding, and we didn't have any issues. Same routine all year besides heat for the water. The pine shavings.. I'd only consider replacing them with sand for ease of care. I might do sand in the Spring/Summer then throw pine shavings over it for winter.

 

[Eggcessive]

My neighbor who cuts our hay for his cattle says that hay is the first or second cutting which is where the rich nutrients are and the later cuttings are mostly straw. There is actually straw that grows too I think. We can get 2 and sometimes 3 cuttings of hay each summer if we get enough rain.

 

[Dutchess]

I have heard (somewhere?) that straw is sterile and that's the difference between hay and straw. Anyone else hear that? Not sure how it could/would be sterile.

 

[gritsar]

Quote:
I guess the word sterile will work. Straw is a by-product, hollow shafts. Hay is a feed, can be fed to livestock. I remember reading somewhere, don't recall where, that you don't want to use straw due to the fact the shafts are hollow. It's the hollow shaft that provides a good enviroment for mold to grow.

Any time I run out of hay all I have to do is walk to the other end of the farm and snitch some out of the hay barn, so hay it is.

 

[chicmom]

Well, I put straw in the nesting boxes, and my girls just loved it! And I continued to use pine shavings as the coop flooring. It's pretty neat, the girls layed eggs and moved that straw around to form a nice nest.......I have to admit the straw looks cozier for them, as it actually forms a nest, while they wood shavings in the nest boxes just sort of lay there.

Now, I have read where people say that hay is the food, straw is the bedding, and not to use the hay because it will mildew quickly. Does that seem accurate?

 

[darkmatter]

I use whatever my riding lawnmower picks up in the bagger. Grass, weeds, pine cones, sticks, etc. For the nest boxes, I find pine straw raked up from underneath the pine trees works well. Occasionally I've used tall grass I hand cut for making nest fillings.

 

[ChickInDelight]

Okay - I just learned something. I need to remove the nesting box from the hutch! Mine are not yet old enough to lay. They all like to sleep together - at least 2 and often all 4 in the nesting box. Of course, it is full of non-egg matter.

Time to remove the nesting box for awhile and encourage them to roost at night!

 

[ChickInDelight]

When is comes to horses, hay is the food and straw is the bedding. Wood shavings are also used as bedding, but is not as desirable as straw because it draws moisture from the horse hooves.