Sawdust? Yes or no.

[Kchud22]

Would hard wood saw dust be ok for bedding in the coop? I can get very large bags of sawdust from a local cabinet shop for free. Also my neighbor has a saw mill. Would that be OK as well?

 

[sdm111]

I would not due to inhalation hazard. Especially in a coop. I would imagine it would be kicked up constantly. Just my opinion

Shavings also

Get wheat straw. It wicks moisture and is not dusty compared to shavings.
And no hay either it absorbs water and molds

 

[aart]

Well, it wood(haha) be dusty.
Some folks have used it, but most avoid it because of the dust.

 

[Sueby]

I cut down a big tree in my run so there was saw dust all over - I think they ate every little bit of it. I was a little worried about it, but it's weeks later & they're all still alive!

We used to use it for the horses, I agree it would probably be a little dusty but I might give it a try since its free. Who doesn't love free!?

 

[Battlepants]

I'd probably grab a bag of that for putting in my run. Would be a decent way to mitigate mud, IMO.

 

[Kidwantschickens]

Some people use sawdust for coop's, I can't see the difference between pine shavings vs what's from a cabinet maker except it would be dustier (smaller particles.) So maybe sprinkle it down with water initially. It will absorb some water and keep the dust down (we did this with horses.)

I would just stay away from black walnut shavings. Not sure if it causes an issue for chickens but it kills horses, something about the oil.