Pine Straw

[Godsgrl]

Is it okay to put pine straw in the chicken house, and nest boxes? I have heard some animals like guinea pigs, etc, can't have pine straw, but I'm not sure about chickens.

The price is much more reliable than hay, which is $9/bale here. Pine straw is only $3. Of course, I could rake my own for free. LOL Thanks!!

 

[silkiechicken]

I've heard of people here using it but I don't know for sure. I personally prefer pine shavings as they are absorbent. Not sure how well pine straw adsorbs moisture.

I use field grass I got for free but it mats down quickly.

 

[Godsgrl]

I personally prefer pine shavings as they are absorbent. Not sure how well pine straw adsorbs moisture.


That's a good point, thanks very much.

 

[Chicki_Pooh]

I have never heard of pine straw. I use pine shavings, they keep the coop smelling fresher & cleaner than when I was just using hay.

 

[speckledhen]

I built forts with pine straw as a kid growing up. It's prickly! There's a reason they call the individual pieces pine NEEDLES! As someone who now knows more about bumblefoot than I ever wanted to know, I wouldn't use it. I've stuck it in many a finger during my lifetime.

 

[bamagirl68]

Oh my!

Never heard of pine straw? Guess in the South it's as common as rocks! New to raising chicks but forever been using pine straw (in my flower beds). It can be quite prickly and seems like it might even put out an eye if punctured with it. I wouldn't use it!

 

[bigzio]

Pine straw is simply pine needles. It is called straw because it is being used for bedding. White pine straw is the softest and not pricky. Yellow pine straw is the most pricky, with red pine straw in the middle.... Hands down, pine shavings are superior to anything else one can use.

I use pine straw in the winter months in the attached pen outside the coop.... mine hate snow!
I shovel most of the snow out and then lay down a nice layer of pine straw for the women.

bigzio

 

[speckledhen]

LOL, when it's just a little bit, it's needles. When you can build massive forts with it and hide entire classrooms of children inside, it's STRAW! There's not a Georgian alive who hasn't had experience with pine straw.

 

[3peeps]

I have pine needles around some of my plants for mulch, and another thing to consider is that it takes a long time to break down, if that's a concern. Some of it has lasted 2-3 years. In a compost pile, it goes faster, but the needles always seem stubborn.

If it's the softer kind (thinner needles) my husband might be tempted to sleep on it himself! He loves the smell of anything pine...reminds him of childhood and camping.

I use big bags of compressed pine shavings...they cost around $4 at the feed mill and cover quite a bit once fluffed up. We live near paper mills, though, so maybe it's more readily available here. Not sure.

 

[3peeps]

Quote:
Now that's a fun thought!