Straw or hay for nest boxes- preference?

[hilda'smom]

Hi Backyard Chicken forum friends,

I am a first time chicken owner finishing up my first coop. I wonder if I should get straw or hay to bed the nesting boxes for my 4 chickens. Which is preferred and why?

thank you for replying,
-Hilary

I give my girls both mixed together lol the straw has seeds to enjoy and the hay just smells so nice

 

[Cryss]

ok i am confused, i am using wheat straw in my coop and the surrounding pen, but i read you are supposed to clean it out daily, and i have been going through a s... load of straw! none of my chickens are old enough to start laying yet and wont go near their nesting boxes, as a matter of fact, they wont even go up in the coop at night, they want to roost outside the coop, but they are still in a pen, is this ok? and somebody explain to me how often to actually change out the straw?

Hi! Welcome to BYC! Glad you joined us. You'll get lots of answers here.
First, cleaning out daily doesn't mean replacing all the bedding. You only need to scoop the poop. Kinda like kitty litter. What you use for bedding is up to you. For me, I don't like the slimyness of straw. I use pine shavings, not the fine cut, inside the house and in the nests. A bale is packed tightly so when it fluffs out its more than you think. A bale can last me a long time and they are cheap. I am building a new coop and will be using poop boards covered with pdz but the floor will still be pine shavings. Never use cedar shavings. They are toxic to chickens and will kill them.
In my run I use woodchips that I get free from local tree services. They absorb water providing a dry run and decompose slowly without the slimyness of straw. When I sift poop out from the house or when I do a once or twice a year total bedding cleaning I toss it into the run. In the fall I'll dig some soil up frome the run leaving woodchips behind. I put that soil on my garden when I'm finished harvesting.
Your babies have no idea where "home" is. They don't know they are supposed to go inside at night. They need to be taught this or they will never go inside where it is safe. To teach them you need to set up the inside of the house with food and water in a way that is easy for you to remove the feeders and waterers at night. Feeders and waterers are not usually kept inside but for this it is necessary. You also want to block the nests because young birds will sleep in them and poop all night. It's a bad habit and hard to break meaning you'll have poopy covered eggs once they start laying. Tonight physically place your birds inside the coop (coop is the house, not part of the run). Close them in and keep them locked inside for about 3 or more days. Remove food and water at night. Dry up any spills. During the day if you have screened in windows you can open them for heat relief and ventilation. After a few days let them into the run. If they still don't go inside that first night repeat the process. Once they realize this is their safe place they will go in all by themselves as it starts to get dark. It's such a great feeling when they finally get it. It's like you finally have a true flock! They have found their home!

 

[brax]

We use hemp bedding. It dries faster and absorbs the stink better. We only have to change once Avery 6 months. We just use a child’s rake to turn it every other day.

Do you not find the lack of cleaning causes more problems with red mite? I try to clean mine every two weeks - they have a large shed as their home - with nesting boxes and perches etc. I use poultry shield and it still never quite gets rid of red mite. I also use citronella essential oil diluted with water in a spray in between cleaning which seems to help. I spray after the poultry shield so one week PS one of citronella. In summer my hens only have shredded paper. I change daily. I find everything else increases mites and lice. Last winter they had shavings - I am going to try the pine oil because that sounds lovely. Also my hens hate citronella. They may prefer pine oil. Previously I have used hay and straw depending on what I can get hold of. I always use Battles louse powder in the bedding if I use either hay or straw because we always get an infestation. Feather cutting lice in particular are a pain because it takes ages for my girls to get their feathers back to normal which increases bullying so I really try to stop that and we seem to get feather cutters every few years. If we get a cold winter though I would use hay or straw again to keep my girls warm. My girls also get "spotted" with ivermectin regularly to keep lice and mites away. I also use red mite powder under their wings and around the vent. They seem to be doing well since all 4 remaining of my hens are now 7 years or older.

 

[aart]

I find everything else increases mites and lice.

If mites and lice are present, only way to really get rid of them is insecticides.
Doesn't much matter what bedding you use.

 

[Toothpick]

I use these from Amazon now - https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00CAVMIK2/?tag=backy-20

I just ordered a new pack a couple weeks ago. The last pack lasted me 11 months. Before I got these I just put in the shavings from the coop. And the issue I had was the birds scraping it out and laying on the plywood. Some eggs would crack.

 

[TashaFrancois]

Do you not find the lack of cleaning causes more problems with red mite? I try to clean mine every two weeks - they have a large shed as their home - with nesting boxes and perches etc. I use poultry shield and it still never quite gets rid of red mite. I also use citronella essential oil diluted with water in a spray in between cleaning which seems to help. I spray after the poultry shield so one week PS one of citronella. In summer my hens only have shredded paper. I change daily. I find everything else increases mites and lice. Last winter they had shavings - I am going to try the pine oil because that sounds lovely. Also my hens hate citronella. They may prefer pine oil. Previously I have used hay and straw depending on what I can get hold of. I always use Battles louse powder in the bedding if I use either hay or straw because we always get an infestation. Feather cutting lice in particular are a pain because it takes ages for my girls to get their feathers back to normal which increases bullying so I really try to stop that and we seem to get feather cutters every few years. If we get a cold winter though I would use hay or straw again to keep my girls warm. My girls also get "spotted" with ivermectin regularly to keep lice and mites away. I also use red mite powder under their wings and around the vent. They seem to be doing well since all 4 remaining of my hens are now 7 years or older.

No issues with any bugs. We even rescued a hen we didn’t know who had scaly leg mites. Not one other bird was effected. I quickly rake it before I feed them and they turn it too. Hemp bedding has some cool properties. My parents have been using it for a decade and they put us onto it.

 

[brax]

If mites and lice are present, only way to really get rid of them is insecticides.
Doesn't much matter what bedding you use.

Dont worry I use insecticides as well but they always come back. They also get spotted with ivermectin but its all short term alleviation of the problem it seems. Wild birds bring them.

 

[JuliB]

Straw is a better option. Hay is a feed and straw is bedding. It’s also cheaper. I use straw in mine.

Some may argue neither as they both tend to hold moisture but i have not had an issue!

Around here, we can get grass hay for 7.50 to 8.00 a bale, and straw is twice that. When my mares foal out, we bed them on Coastal hay because it’s so much cheaper than straw, and they’re unlikely to eat it because they have free choice alfalfa.

Personally I have shavings in the coop, but hay in the nest box. Will also throw a flake of hay in the run if they have to stay locked in. They seem to enjoy scratching in it.

 

[pargue]

Hi all, I see the USA is well represented, flocks from all over our country! I live in Oregon and have used cedar shavings for years and never had any adverse effects to my flock. Straw is hollow and can be habitat for bugs and mites. I regularly use DE ( diatomaceous earth) in their feed (parasite control) and in the coop (mites etc.) it works wonderfully without risk of contamination! Cedar also deters insects and smells great. I've read it can be harmful(cedar) to day old chicks but as stated before in 25+ years I've never had a problem.

 

[rehdancer]

I purchase straw and mix it with pine needles, which I rake out of the yard and pile in the chicken yard. They scratch around in it for fun (I guess !). The pine needles really help any smell in the coop. I have straw in half my nests and pine needles in the other half. Since they're not laying yet it will be interesting to see which nesting material they prefer.