Straw vs. Pine Shavings

[WynCoop]

Been reading everyone's posts and answers -- I don't have a drainage problem - and I don't have a cleaning problem - I don't want to throw away the straw/pine shavings, wood chips in the coop but rather use them in my compost. I have read, and been told, "Wood shavings are the best!", "Straw is the best! It is better in compost bin". and so forth. What would be the best bedding, floor covering, stuff in the bottom of the coop. Thank you for your advice.

 

[ChickenCanoe]

If you have something other than dirt for the coop floor, go with pine shavings. They don't get the bad molds like straw does.
Unless water gets spilled in the shavings they stay very dry. Straw seems to draw and hold moisture from the feces.
I use straw in some of the runs and I compost both. The pine shavings saturated with feces seems to compost and decompose better also. When I move compost to the second bin, the straw is often still intact.
If you live in an arid and/or warm climate, sand works well too.
Sand in my cold humid winters would probably become like stone.

 

[BGMatt]

Of the two options, the shavings are easier to clean up and don't grow the mold.

 

[chuckyone]

I use straw in nesting boxes and shavings on coop floor and I just clean it out every other day

 

[Kernel Cluck]

Shavings.. Absolutely. I had both at various times of the years. The straw turned into a moldy, stinky mess. I would actually recommend river sand. They can use it for grit and it sheds water. I switched to it 2 weeks ago and the run has been bone dry despite record rains here in Wisconsin. After the spring cleaning, I am going to add it to the hen house.

 

[WynCoop]

Thank you so much for all of the replies.
Based on these wonderful suggestions, I'm going to start with shavings in the coop, straw in the nesting boxes, and sand in the run. The run is on the ground and it is dirt, and I have a lot of sand left over from building our stone patio - so I'll shovel some of that inside the run area. And I do like the suggestion of putting sand in the coop as well. What's really good, is that you can always change when you clean out the coop, try them all, and see what works best --

 

[ChickenCanoe]

Sounds like you're starting with the best mix.

 

[SD Bird Lady]

Another caution is residual chemicals in straw. They can make your compost lethal to some plants. I have to find the article but it cautions against using manure from animals that have grazed in areas sprayed with 2 different chemicals...I will try to get you the name if I can find it. I know it is about grazing but straw is even less processed than manure.

ETA: this is not the exact article but similar, I read mine in Mother Earth News (magazine)http://www.gardenorganic.org.uk/organicgardening/herbicide_damage.php