To straw, or not to straw?

[AntiqueB]

It sounds like your run floor is too wet for straw and/or you put too much straw in at once and didn't spread it out enough.

The run is covered. The problem for me is that it's nearly impossible to effectively scoop poop from straw.

 

[StinkyAcres]

The run is covered. The problem for me is that it's nearly impossible to effectively scoop poop from straw.

No, you can't scoop poop out of straw. It's good for the deep bedding method though. The poop dries out and filters down through it. I guess it's best for a larger area without ground contact and a smaller amount of chickens.

 

[aart]

We’re in KY and we’re expecting temps to be 20 degrees Fahrenheit down to negative temperatures for the next couple of weeks.

That seems a bit severe for your location.

You might need to baffle the ventilation if you get excessive air movement thru the upper open areas since your coop is so short.
https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/ventilation-baffling.75434/

..and electrolytes are good for cold stress:
https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/aarts-extreme-weather-spiel.75893/

 

[Folly's place]

I agree that blocking the wind would really help here.
And I have memories of cleaning straw in the maternity stall for my mare and foal, miserable!
We have added some straw or hay to the coop bedding at times, but most of the bedding is shavings, bought in bags at the feed store. We add some periodically to the base, and clean it out completely twice or three times each year. That wouldn't work with straw!
And our birds roost up out of the bedding anyway.
Straw bales placed around the coop and run are good for a low wind break, and inside the birds will work them over for entertainment.
Our very first coop was made of straw bales with a plywood and tarp roof, fenced against predators, and it worked pretty well.
Mary

 

[Loving my girls]

For me the answer isn’t yes or no it’s more of a That Depends …
If the straw has been treated for mites then yes, if it’s farm straw no. My girls got mites from straw. Of That I am certain.

 

[Daisy June]

I have ducks and have heard that it can mold so I use pine large flake shavings on my areas in my pens where my ducks sleep at night. I too have wondered about the straw but was concerned about mold since ducks are so much into making messes and the snow over it.

I had been using pine shavings but decided to try straw. The straw quickly became super wet, stinky, and very heavy to remove. I went back to pine shavings.

 

[DonyaQuick]

I live in a wet climate with hard freeze winters. Straw is my go to *outside* for giving my chickens something to stand on that has a bit of temperature buffer so they aren’t standing on an ice sheet after a bad storm. It is easier to fluff back up to create that air buffer than shavings if it gets snow or freezing rain on it, because straw absorbs nothing. It’s fine as long as much of the time is sub-freezing. Once things are thawing for more than a few days straight though, if I see signs of mud in the run then the straw has to go immediately (replaced with wood chips) because straw really can mold fast and badly. Because of the lack of absorbancy I would only use it inside a coop in an if I was out of shavings and snowed in unable to get anything else.

 

[GravityWaves]

For me the answer isn’t yes or no it’s more of a That Depends …
If the straw has been treated for mites then yes, if it’s farm straw no. My girls got mites from straw. Of That I am certain.

I think it depends on the freshness and how and where the straw is stored more than anything when it comes to mites and such. Many hardware/farm stores will get a load of straw and not sell it that quick so it sits around longer and has more exposure to weather and wild birds, etc. If I needed some I would take fresh farm straw any day if I could get it.

A couple years ago we had a cold snap and I needed some for a small coop on the ground and nobody close had any. I had to pay premium to buy a bale from a hardware store that was kept in a shed. It looked alright but I set some flakes on the coop roof for a minute and when I picked them up, mites everywhere! Needless to say the whole bale was ashes real quick. Lesson learned. lol

 

[dusta]

Sawdust shaving

 

[Luv Ducks]

My husband is a carpenter but I am always afraid of his shavings as they are fine and I have heard to use large flakes of Pine that I buy or else the ducks can have respiratory problems.

Sawdust shaving