Straw V Hay for Bedding

[Noellereagan]

Are you talking the "bales" of pine shavings or something bigger? I currently buy the bales of pine shavings for my coop...I might try the pine shavings in the duck house. Thanks.

Bales of pine flakes, not shavings is what I use to avoid dust from the finely ground wood on the shavings. And it’s essy to sift through. I get mine at TSC. it’s the white shavings bag and says flakes right on it. Under $5 for 2 cubic feet.

 

[Noellereagan]

 

[TeenageRooster's Dad]

Hay, (massive pun) sucks IMO... moldy, dusty and just a mess.....

I mix pine shaving with cedar, little bit of diatomateciouslydelicious earth mixed in with a damp cloth.

Questionable part; I also mix rosemary and lavender weeds with it; wife planted crapload of those around the pool so got lucky there but seems to do a good job covering Mrs White's (an oversized Light Brahma) nightly massive dumps.

 

[Noellereagan]

Hay, (massive pun) sucks IMO... moldy, dusty and just a mess.....

I mix pine shaving with cedar, little bit of diatomateciouslydelicious earth mixed in with a damp cloth.

Questionable part; I also mix rosemary and lavender weeds with it; wife planted crapload of those around the pool so got lucky there but seems to do a good job covering Mrs White's (an oversized Light Brahma) nightly massive dumps.

I know cedar to be HIGHLY TOXIC to chickens and turkeys. Are ducks somehow okay with cedar?

 

[Noellereagan]

https://www.google.com/amp/blog.cedarcide.com/is-cedar-oil-safe-for-birds?hs_amp=true

 

[GossChicks]

Hey (pun intended) everyone. I was wondering what peoples thoughts are about hay and straw? I am currently using straw as the begging in Duckingham Palace for our two Pekins. Are there advantages to either one? We use hay for the nesting boxes in the chicken coop as it seems to be softer. The duckas seem to enjoy the straw though and when I pull it out of the palace weekly I spread it around the 20x30 “pen” that the poultry share. The chickens REALLY enjoy scratching through it for whatever. So, Any opinions on straw V hay for duck bedding?
Thanks!

Don’t the chickens eat the seeds before the can grow?

 

[CrystaBub]

So I use all of the above LOL. I find that certain things work better in certain places:

• Thick pine shavings mixed with Koop Clean hay (with PDZ) in their nighttime sleep area.
• Sand and Koop Clean hay in their outside daytime pen.
• Straw bales are used for insulation - stacked around their inside pen and along 2 walls in their outside pen as a wind block.
• I use triple shredded hardwood mulch for their run.
• When it snowed recently, I used some of the straw bale for a path over the snow.
• I also sprinkle PDZ Coop Refresher over all of it.

 

[loofa]

Hoping to bump this conversation. I've read that both straw and hay can grow mold that can be bad for ducks, but this was a conversation about coop bedding. I'm wondering if this is an issue for their outside run. My ducks mostly have the run of a very large yard, but sometimes have to be confined to a smaller duck run that is getting muddy as we go deeper into fall. Inside coop has pine shavings, but I'd like to use straw in the outside run unless people have dire warning against it.

 

[416bigbore]

Hoping to bump this conversation. I've read that both straw and hay can grow mold that can be bad for ducks, but this was a conversation about coop bedding. I'm wondering if this is an issue for their outside run. My ducks mostly have the run of a very large yard, but sometimes have to be confined to a smaller duck run that is getting muddy as we go deeper into fall. Inside coop has pine shavings, but I'd like to use straw in the outside run unless people have dire warning against it.

I am a Newbie here and have noticed that this topic comes up quite frequently. We have had wet conditions all spring summer and fall now it seems. I would like to know what would work best also, just like the other members who are experiencing the same conditions.

There seems to be pros and cons no matter what a person tries. What works great for one person in one area of the country doesn't work well for another in theirs.

Mold is very bad for our little feathered friends. I use a fan to keep the air moving across their bedding in the coop and fluff the straw in the morning and evening and that has seemed to work really well for us.

Best of luck and please keep us posted if you find perfect solution to this ongoing problem.

 

[igorsMistress]

What about PDZ or DE? They both dry things out. I’m in a very climate and don’t use it because of dust but it may be helpful for some without those issues.