Straw or pine shavings?

[Barnyard Dawg]

I like pine shavings.

 

[silkiechicken]

I use pine for the little ones but when they get to the big coop, they get straw. I have open tractor floors though so I just move the coop when it gets bad... and grow things later.
I would try each one out and see what works best and is most economical for you.

 

[Chellester]

I use both! I put straw on the ground in the runs and shavings on the floor of the coops. So if its a dirt floor, it gets straw; if its a wood floor, it gets shavings.

 

[Tuffoldhen]

I did have to add DE the straw, the nest boxes and the hens!! more than usual til I got rid of bugs!... alot more than with pine shavings...never again...just didn't work as well here as the pine shavings do and it costs less...

 

[horsewishr]

If I'm not mistaken, I think there is a difference in absorbency depending on the TYPE of straw you get. Around here you can get wheat straw and oat straw. I can't remember which absorbs better (cuz I think straw is a PITA to use), but I know there is a difference.

 

[horsewishr]

OK--found some information on straw:

Straw - Good straw bedding comes from the stems of oats, wheat, rye or barley. Your location will be a great factor determining availability. oat straw is the most common and most water absorbable, but is becoming more scarceand not readily available in some areas. Wheat straw is the next most desirable. Straw commonly comes in bales that may vary in weight from 40 to 60 pounds, is
clean and fresh looking, and relatively free of foreign materials such as dust,weeds and grass. Cut or chopped straw will absorb about 25% more water than longstraw, but may produce some dust

I imagine that chopped straw would be pretty nice. I woudn't go with the regular long stuff, though.​

 

[gootziecat]

My experience has been with sawdust is it is far more absorbent and easier to deal with than straw. Unfortunately, if you're raising cornish x (meat chickens), they tend to eat the shavings/sawdust and it fills up their crop. It does not digest.
All of my chicks have been raised on newspaper over top the shavings/sawdust for about a week, maybe less. The newspaper is in layers so it can be removed daily or as needed with as little disturbance to the chicks as possible and a fresh layer of newspaper will remain. Once the chicks are old enough they KNOW what they are supposed to eat, there usually is little problem with them eating the bedding.
I used sawdust from the local sawmill for years and it has spoiled me for anything else. Hope this is helpful to some one.

 

[speckledhen]

I feel there is a difference between sawdust and good quality pine shavings, though. I don't use sawdust, only the shavings with decent sized flakes, although the quality is not always consistent. Sawdust is easily eaten and packs down too solidly.

 

[1acrefarm]

I will never use straw again. It stinks very bad when wet. I also used to have mite problems until I got rid of the straw. It is a pain to turn and has to be turned often. When coop clean out time comes which seems to be alot more often with straw it stinks so bad it has to be buried. I do not like digging.

 

[rooster-red]

Sawdust will wind up in their respiratory systems and can cause sickness and death.

Pine shavings are all we use.